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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 11.0 mm |
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| Obverse description | A kneeling nude male figure, depicted in archaic Greek style, faces left in a posture of exertion, drawing a bow with arms outstretched. The figure exhibits finely rendered musculature and hairstyle typical of the Archaic period. The design is set within a slightly irregular round flan characteristic of early electrum coinage. The field surrounding the figure is plain and unadorned. The composition is attributed to the Kyzikene mint and reflects the city's distinctive iconographic tradition. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square dominates the reverse, divided into four recessed compartments arranged in a windmill or pinwheel pattern, each segment deeply impressed into the flan. This incuse punch design is characteristic of early archaic coinage technique, serving as the countermark of the die-striker. The surface within each quadrant shows irregular texture from the hammering process. The broad incuse square fills nearly the entire reverse field. No inscriptions or additional devices are present. |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage in the archaic Greek world through sheer commercial reach — its hektes circulated as a trusted trade currency across the Black Sea littoral and into the Aegean for well over a century, accepted by merchants who may never have visited the city itself. The natural electrum alloy used here was not standardized; composition varied from issue to issue, which traders tolerated because Kyzikene pieces had earned a reputation for honest weight rather than consistent fineness.
The tuna, endemic to the Propontis and central to Kyzikos's economy, appears on virtually every emission as a type-marker — its presence on this hekte is the primary identifier for attribution to this mint.