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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Von Fritze#130 cf., SNG France#281 cf., Greenwell#3 cf., BostonMFA#1520 cf., Gulbenkian#640 cf., Jameson#1419 cf., Weber#4987 cf. |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
| Mintage | ND (500 BC - 450 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos was the dominant electrum-minting city of the ancient world for roughly two centuries, and its hektes functioned as an international trade currency across the Black Sea and Aegean long before Alexander's conquests homogenized coinage in the region. The city's position on the Propontis made it the unavoidable waypoint for grain shipments moving south from Scythia, and Kyzikene electrum became the preferred medium for large mercantile transactions — Athenian bankers quoted prices in it.
The natural electrum alloy used here, drawn from Lydian river sources, meant no two pieces carry identical gold-to-silver ratios.