Phaistos was one of the oldest and most powerful cities on Crete, yet by the time these staters were struck in the late fourth century it was already in steep decline, increasingly dominated by its rival Gortyn. The city would be destroyed by Gortyn around 189 BC, making its coin issues a finite series with a hard terminal date — not a gradual fade but an abrupt end.
The SNG references place this among the last substantial issues from the mint before output collapsed entirely.
Phaistos was one of the oldest and most powerful cities on Crete, yet by the time these staters were struck in the late fourth century it was already in steep decline, increasingly dominated by its rival Gortyn. The city would be destroyed by Gortyn around 189 BC, making its coin issues a finite series with a hard terminal date — not a gradual fade but an abrupt end.
The SNG references place this among the last substantial issues from the mint before output collapsed entirely.