Catalog
Hemidrachm - Philomelos
| Issuer | Federal Coinage of Phokis |
|---|---|
| Year | 357 BC - 354 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Youthful head of Apollo facing right, depicted laureate with flowing wavy locks rendered in fine detail. A laurel branch is visible behind the head, extending into the left field. The legend ΦΩ appears in the field, serving as an abbreviation referencing the magistrate Philomelos. The style is elegant and typical of skilled Greek die engraving of the mid-4th century BC. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Phokis seized the sanctuary of Delphi in 356 BC, triggering the Third Sacred War and giving the Phokian general Philomelos access to the treasuries of Apollo — one of the ancient world's great concentrations of precious metal. The federal coinage struck under his authority was partly financed by that plunder, a sacrilege that united much of Greece against Phokis and ultimately justified the Macedonian intervention that ended the war in 346 BC.
Philomelos himself died at Neon in 354 BC, thrown from a cliff after capture. Coins attributable to his command span barely three years of crisis minting.