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Myshemihekte
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 522 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 |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | BMC Greek#9, Bodenstedt#2.2.1, GCV#3450 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Incuse square punch of quadripartite design, divided into four irregular recessed compartments by intersecting raised ridges meeting at the center, a hallmark technique of archaic Greek hammered electrum coinage. The punched impression is deeply struck and covers most of the reverse field. The four resulting triangular or trapezoidal sections display a slightly granular surface texture from the hammering process. No legend, symbol, or additional device is present. This purely functional reverse is typical of Phokaian and broader Ionian electrum fractional issues of the late 7th to early 6th century BC. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the earliest Greek cities to mint electrum coinage, and these fractional pieces — struck well before the Persian conquest of Ionia in 546 BC disrupted the city's commercial networks — circulated across a trading world that stretched from the Black Sea to the western Mediterranean. The Phokaians were aggressive colonists; they founded Massalia around 600 BC and Alalia in Corsica shortly after, and small electrum fractions like this would have moved through those channels.
The natural alloy used by Phokaia had a consistently higher silver content than Lydian electrum, giving their coins a paler color that ancient merchants learned to distinguish by sight.