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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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Head of a griffin or female deity facing right, rendered in archaic Greek style with a stylized helmet or headdress featuring incised linear detail. The facial features are boldly modeled in high relief, with a prominent almond-shaped eye, a strong jawline, and a pointed chin characteristic of late archaic Ionian coinage. The hair is rendered in ridged, parallel striations swept back beneath the headdress. The design fills the flan to its edges, leaving minimal field visible. The overall execution reflects the accomplished die-cutting tradition of Phokaia during the archaic period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain, irregular |
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| 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.