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Trite - Phanes
| Issuer | Ephesos |
|---|---|
| Year | 625 BC - 600 BC |
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| Composition | Electrum |
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| Obverse description | A spotted stag advancing to the right with head lowered in a naturalistic grazing pose, rendered in relief with carefully incised surface markings denoting the animal's dappled coat. The stag's legs are depicted in motion, conveying a sense of fluid movement characteristic of early Archaic Greek coin engraving. A retrograde archaic Greek inscription, reading ΦΑΝΕΟΣ, is disposed around the stag in the field, identifying this as the coinage of Phanes. The flan is irregular and bean-shaped, typical of the earliest electrum coinage of Ionia, with a slightly convex obverse surface. The artistic style reflects the bold, stylized naturalism of late 7th-century Lydian and Ionian die-cutting. |
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| Mintage | ND (625 BC - 600 BC) |
| Additional information |
Among the earliest struck coins known, the Phanes issues from Ephesos predate the Lydian royal coinage and remain the subject of unresolved debate — no one has conclusively identified who or what "Phanes" refers to. A mercenary commander, a local magistrate, and a cult association have all been proposed. Three of these coins were found in the foundation deposit beneath the Temple of Artemis at Ephesos, buried around 600 BC, which places them at the absolute origin point of Western coinage and fixes their chronology more precisely than almost any other early electrum issue.