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Hemiobol
| Issuer | Federal Coinage of Phokis |
|---|---|
| Year | 485 BC - 480 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 0.29 g |
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| Obverse description | Facing head of a bull rendered in low relief, depicted in three-quarter view turning slightly to the right, with prominent muzzle and finely detailed facial features characteristic of early Phokian federal coinage. The bovine head fills the broadly circular flan, which is slightly irregular in outline as typical of hammered archaic Greek silver. The surface exhibits the granular texture common to early fifth-century BC coinage of central Greece. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (485 BC - 480 BC) |
| Additional information |
The Federal Coinage of Phokis dates to a period when the league was actively defending its control of Delphi against Thessalian encroachment — a conflict that periodically erupted into what ancient sources call the Sacred Wars. These tiny fractional issues likely served the sanctuary economy at Delphi itself, facilitating small transactions among pilgrims, theorodokoi, and traders operating in the shadow of the oracle.
The BCD reference places this piece within the earliest phase of Phokian federal coinage, before the catastrophic Persian sack of 480 BC disrupted production entirely.