PHOKIAN LEAGUE Phokis 354BC Bull Wreath Authentic Ancient Greek Coin RARE i49478

Item: i49478

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Greek coin of the

Phokis
Bronze 15mm (2.01 grams) Struck under Onymarchos, circa 354 B.C.
Reference: HGC 4, 1109 (R3); BCD Lokris 299; Sear 2357 var.
Bull’s head facing, bound with fillet.
Φ within olive-wreath.

You are bidding on the exact item pictured,

Authenticity.

Phocis was an
ancient region
in the central part of
Ancient Greece
, which included
Delphi
. A modern administrative unit, also
called Phocis
is named after the ancient region,
although the modern region is substantially larger than the ancient one.

Geography

Ancient Phocis was about 1,619 km² (625 mi²) in area, bounded on the west by
Ozolian Locris
and
Doris
, on the north by
Opuntian Locris
, on the east by
Boeotia
, and on the south by the
Gulf of Corinth
. The massive ridge of
Parnassus
(2,459 m/8,068 ft), which traverses
the heart of the country, divides it into two distinct portions.

Being neither rich in material resources nor well placed for commercial
enterprise, Phocis was mainly pastoral. No large cities grew up within its
territory, and its chief places, such as
Delphi
and
Elatea
, were mainly of strategic or cultural
importance.

History

The early history of Phocis remains quite obscure. During the
Persian
invasion of 480 BC the Phocians at
first joined in the national defence, but, by their irresolute conduct at the
Battle of Thermopylae
lost that position for
the Greeks
; at the
Battle of Plataea
they were enrolled on the
Persian side. In 457 BC an attempt to extend their influence to the headwaters
of the
Cephissus
in the territory of Doris brought a
Spartan
army into Phocis in defence of the
“metropolis of the Dorians”. A similar enterprise against
Delphi
in 448 BC was again frustrated by
Sparta, but not long afterwards the Phocians recaptured the sanctuary with the
help of the Athenians
, with whom they had entered into
alliance in 454 BC. The subsequent decline of Athenian land power had the effect
of weakening this new connection; at the time of the
Peloponnesian War
Phocis was nominally an ally
and dependent of Sparta, and had lost control of Delphi.

In the 4th century BC Phocis was constantly endangered by its Boeotian
neighbours. After helping the Spartans to invade Boeotia during the
Corinthian War
(395–94 BC), the Phocians were
placed on the defensive. They received assistance from Sparta in 380 BC, but
were afterwards compelled to submit to the growing power of
Thebes
. The Phocian levy took part in the
inroads of
Epaminondas
into
Peloponnesus
, except in the final campaign of
Mantinea
(370–362 BC), from which their
contingent was withheld. In return for this negligence the Thebans fastened a
religious quarrel upon their neighbours, and secured a penal decree against them
from the
Amphictyonic
synod (356 BC). The Phocians
participated in two important battles: the
Battle of Crocus Field
and the
Battle of Thermopylae
(353 BC). The Phocians,
led by two capable generals,
Philomelus
and
Onomarchus
, replied by seizing Delphi and using
its riches to hire a
mercenary
army. With the help of these troops
the Phocian League at first carried the war into Boeotia and
Thessaly
, and though driven out of the latter
country by
Philip of Macedon
, maintained itself for ten
years, until the exhaustion of the temple treasures and the treachery of its
leaders placed it at Philip’s mercy. The conditions which he imposed – the
obligation to restore the temple funds, and the dispersion of the population
into open villages – were soon disregarded. In 339 BC the Phocians began to
rebuild their cities; in the following year they fought against Philip at
Chaeronea
. Again in 323 BC they took part in
the Lamian War
against
Antipater
, and in 279 BC helped to defend
Thermopylae against the
Gauls
.

Henceforth little more is heard of Phocis. During the 3rd century BC it
passed into the power of Macedonia and of the
Aetolian League
, to which in 196 BC it was
definitely annexed. Under the dominion of the
Roman republic
its national league was
dissolved, but was revived by
Augustus
, who also restored to Phocis the votes
in the Delphic Amphictyony which it had lost in 346 BC and enrolled it in the
new Achaean synod. The Phocian League is last heard of under
Trajan
.