Circa 350-300 BCE
Æ 5.52g, 18mm, 12h
Head of Hermes to left, wearing winged petasos fastened under chin
Forepart of griffin to left; [ΦΩ]KAEΩ[N] below.
BMC -, cf. 99-100; SNG von Aulock -; SNG Copenhagen -, cf. 1041-2.
Phokaia was a very powerful city, especially during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, when it minted a number of electrum coins that became a standard currency throughout Greece.
According to Herodotus, they were the first to make long sea journeys and so impressed a king in Spain that he asked them to move to his kingdom, then gave them money to build a wall around their city when they politely declined.
Indeed, with two strong harbors, Phokaia was able to foster rich trading routes and established numerous colonies, including Amisos, Lampsakos, and others in Spain, France, and Corsica. During the Peloponnesian War, they started by paying tribute to Athens, but eventually rebelled and joined the Spartan cause.
During the time of Philip II, Phokaia attempted to take Kydonia in Crete, but was unsuccessful. After the death of Alexander the Great, Phokaia came under Seleukid control.
The griffin was the civic symbol of Phokaia and is believed to originate from the legendary Kodrid kings of Teos. It may also be due to settlers from Teos, which also used a griffin as its symbol.