Phokis, Federal coinage. Circa 449-447 BC. Triobol

Phokis, Federal coinage. Circa 449-447 BC. Triobol (Silver, 15 mm, 2.97 g). Frontal bull’s head. Rev. Φ-Ο-Κ-Ι Head of Artemis right within incuse square. Williams 213; BCD Lokris-Phokis 241. Old cabinet tone.

A pleasing example of the early federal silver coinage of Phokis, struck in the years shortly after the mid-fifth century reorganization of the region’s coinage. The obverse frontal bull’s head is a bold and compact type, well suited to the small triobol module, while the reverse names the Phokian federal authority through the divided ethnic ΦΟΚΙ. The head of Artemis reflects one of the principal divine associations of Phokis and is especially appropriate for a region whose identity was closely tied to sanctuaries, mountain landscapes, and local cult.

The incuse reverse preserves the archaic structure of earlier Greek silver, but the style is already moving toward a more developed classical idiom. The type is well represented in Williams’ corpus and in the BCD Lokris-Phokis collection, but attractive examples with old tone and clear reverse lettering remain desirable.