Hemidrachm

The Federal Coinage of Phokis was produced by the Phokian League, a confederation of central Greek city-states whose political existence was repeatedly threatened by Thessalian aggression and Athenian interference. The precise window of this issue coincides with a period of acute pressure: Athens forced Phokis into alliance during the First Peloponnesian War, and Spartan intervention at the Battle of Tanagra in 457 BC directly destabilized the region. Federal coinage of this type is thought to have funded collective military obligations rather than everyday commerce — which explains why surviving specimens often show minimal wear despite the turbulence of the period.