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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A nude male figure rendered in low relief, kneeling to the left in a dynamic pose. In his outstretched right hand he holds a tunny fish (tuna) grasped by the tail, the tunny being the characteristic civic emblem of Kyzikos. The figure is depicted in the archaic Greek artistic style, with careful attention to musculature. The field is plain, and the coin's irregular flan is typical of early electrum coinage from the Propontic region. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (550 BC - 450 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage production in the Aegean during the sixth and fifth centuries, and its hektes circulated far beyond the Propontis — hoards recovered from Egypt, the Black Sea coast, and the Greek mainland confirm their role as a trusted international medium of exchange. The city's electrum was sourced from Lydia and alloyed with enough silver to produce a consistent pale gold, distinguishing Kyzikenian issues from the deeper-toned Lydian staters they competed with.
The series to which this piece belongs ran for well over a century, with the reverse tunny fish serving as the city's invariable anchor type — the only constant across hundreds of distinct obverse dies.