Obol

Phokaia was among the most adventurous of the Ionian Greek cities — its merchants established Massalia (modern Marseille) around 600 BC and pushed trade routes into the western Mediterranean decades before most Greek poleis looked that far. The city's coinage, including this obol, funded that network. When the Persians under Harpagus besieged Phokaia circa 545 BC, a significant portion of the population famously evacuated by sea rather than submit, taking their moveable wealth with them. Those who remained eventually reached an accommodation with Persia, and minting resumed under Achaemenid hegemony — which brackets the production window for this piece.