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Trihemiobol
| Issuer | Phokaia |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Helmeted head of Athena facing left, depicted in archaic style with the helmet adorned with a decorated bowl and a wreath or floral ornament at the brow. The facial features are rendered in the severe archaic manner characteristic of Ionian coinage of the late 6th to early 5th century BC. The neck is bare, and the cheek-guard of the helmet frames the face closely. The die-work is bold and deeply cut, with the relief standing prominently against a smooth, slightly convex field. |
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| Mintage | ND (521 BC - 478 BC) |
| Additional information |
Phokaia's coinage was underwritten almost entirely by the city's extraordinary reach as a maritime trading power — Phokian merchants established colonies as far west as Massalia (modern Marseille) and Alalia in Corsica, and silver fractions like this one were the working currency of that commerce. The city's eventual sack by the Persians under Harpagos around 545 BC drove much of its population to those very colonies, yet minting continued under Persian-aligned administration through the period this piece covers.
The electrum coinage of Phokaia is better documented; these small silver fractions remain comparatively understudied.