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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| 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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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed triangular sections by a mill-sail or windmill pattern, deeply impressed into the flat reverse flan. The incuse is sharply struck and well-defined, with four roughly equal compartments separated by raised ridges meeting at the centre. This characteristic reverse type is consistent with archaic Greek electrum coinage of the late 6th century BC. The surrounding border is plain and irregular. No inscription or secondary device is present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos was the dominant source of electrum coinage in the Greek world during the sixth and fifth centuries BC, and its hektes circulated far beyond the Propontis — recovered in hoards from Egypt to the Black Sea steppe. The city's position on the southern shore of the Propontis gave it control over critical trade routes, and the coinage functioned less as local currency than as a trusted international medium. Each type was struck only briefly before a new reverse die brought a fresh design, which is why the series runs to hundreds of distinct types.
Von Fritze's classification remains the standard reference, compiled from hoard evidence accumulated through the early twentieth century.