Catalog
Hemidrachm - Philomelos
| Issuer | Federal Coinage of Phokis |
|---|---|
| Year | 357 BC - 354 BC |
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| Currency | Drachm |
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| Obverse description | Facing head of a bull rendered in bold relief, with large forward-facing eyes, prominent muzzle, and slightly flared nostrils. The modelling is vigorous and naturalistic, characteristic of the Phokian federal coinage of the mid-4th century BC. The flan is broad and slightly irregular, with the bull's head nearly filling the entire obverse field. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| 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.