Extremely Rare Greek Coin with the Image of an African
This electrum hekte, struck circa 560-545 BC, is from the ancient city of Phokaia in Ionia. It shows the head of an African man facing left with the civic badge of Phokaia, a seal, behind the head. The reverse side is a simple quadripartite incuse square punch. This is a near extremely fine, extremely rare coin.
Though Aethiopians - the Greek name for all Africans characterized by dark skin and short hair - feature regularly in Greek art, their depiction on coins is by contrast very infrequent. We know that the Greeks were well acquainted with black Africans, since they appear often in Greek literature as mythical or semi-mythical characters and warriors; it appears that they were known in the Greek world as early as the Minoan period, where they were employed by Minoan commanders as auxiliary troops. Indeed, if we may believe Quintus of Smyrna, the Greeks encountered black Africans in the army of Memnon at Troy. Black African contingents also formed a part of Xerxes' army and according to some scholars fought at Marathon (see Frazer, J. G., 1913: Pausanias' Description of Greece, II. Macmillan, London, p 434; and Graindor, P., 1908: Les Vases au Nègre. Musée Belge, p 29).
Of the surviving art objects representing black Africans, many appear to be the work of artists who modeled from life. These depictions invariably display an astonishing degree of individuality, vitality, and energy, presenting scenes and designs that appealed to the craftsmen; one might surmise that the exotic appearance of such individuals presented the artist with a challenge to represent the distinctive features of blacks, whose aesthetic qualities are readily conveyed in pieces such as the present hekte.
The closest parallels we find in the numismatic record for this portrait can be seen in the silver staters of an uncertain (possibly Carian) mint that have appeared in 2008 (Gemini IV, 195) and 2009 (NAC 52, 177) that bear an incuse head of an African man, and a small issue of silver fractions on Lesbos that also show a male head, this time in relief (example). Both however are highly stylized, and may not necessarily represent the features of a particular individual.
