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Obol
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain, irregular |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (521 BC - 478 BC) |
| Additional information |
Phokaia was among the most aggressively colonial of the Ionian Greek cities, establishing Massalia (modern Marseille) and Emporion (Empúries) before the Persian Wars disrupted the entire Aegean order. These obols circulated during precisely the period when Phokaia was navigating Achaemenid pressure — Cyrus had already absorbed Lydia by 547 BC, and the Phokaians famously chose mass emigration over Persian rule before eventually returning under a negotiated arrangement.
The SNG von Aulock range 1813–15 encompasses minor die variations within the type. At 0.82g, these were workhorse fractions — small enough for daily market exchange in a city that built its wealth on long-distance maritime trade rather than agricultural surplus.