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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 478 BC - 455 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hekte (14⁄3) |
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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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Head of a female figure, facing right, rendered in incuse within a square or slightly rounded incuse punch, as is characteristic of early Mytilenaean electrum hektes. She wears a close-fitting cap or sakkos adorned with a decorative band, with wavy hair visible at the nape of the neck. The portrait displays the refined early Classical style of the Lesbian mint, with delicate facial modeling and a composed, idealized expression. The incuse technique creates a contrasting sunken relief against the flat field, a hallmark of archaic Greek coinage practice. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (478 BC - 455 BC) |
| Additional information |
Mytilene and Phokaia operated a formal agreement — confirmed by surviving treaty fragments — to jointly regulate electrum coinage, alternating issues and controlling the natural alloy sourced from the Paktolos river region. This hekte falls within the earlier phase of Mytilene's independent production, before that accord was fully systematized. The electrum composition was not standardized by the mint but accepted as it came, meaning gold content varied noticeably across dies — a known inconsistency Bodenstedt documented across the series.