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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed compartments by raised ridges forming a cross pattern, with the individual quarters exhibiting irregular granular texture. This deeply impressed incuse punch is the standard reverse type for Kyzikene hektes of the archaic period, produced by a single multi-part punch driven into the blank to verify the coin's metal content and authenticate the issue. The incuse design is asymmetric in depth, reflecting the hand-struck hammered technique of the period. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage production in the Greek world for well over a century, and the city's hektes circulated far beyond the Propontis — hoards containing Kyzikene electrum have been found as distant as the Black Sea coast and the Aegean basin. The city's natural access to alluvial electrum from regional river deposits gave it a consistent metallurgical advantage that most minting authorities simply couldn't replicate.
The tuna on the reverse — a civic badge tied to the city's fisheries — appears on virtually every Kyzikene issue regardless of the obverse type, functioning almost as a mint guarantee rather than a design choice.