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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hekte (⅙) |
| 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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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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 of alternating depth, forming a windmill or pinwheel pattern. The incuse is deeply struck and sharply defined, consistent with the standard reverse type employed on Kyzikene electrum hektes of the archaic period. The surface within each compartment is rough and uneven, a characteristic feature of hammered archaic coinage. No legend or additional devices are present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (500 BC - 450 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage in the Aegean for roughly two centuries, and its hektai — sixth-staters — functioned as a near-universal trade currency across Greek mercantile networks from the Black Sea to the Levant. The city's position on the Propontis gave it control over crucial shipping lanes, and the coins circulated far beyond any single polis economy. Kyzikene electrum was explicitly quoted in Athenian commercial records, a rare distinction for a foreign coinage.
The natural electrum alloy used here was not standardized — composition varied coin by coin, which Kyzikos tolerated by guaranteeing pieces by weight rather than fineness.