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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 450 BC - 330 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 |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered, Incuse |
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| Obverse description | Eagle standing to right with head turned back to left, rendered in high relief within a raised circular disc border. The bird is depicted perched upon a tunny fish oriented to the left, a characteristic emblematic device of Kyzikene coinage referencing the city's close association with the tunny fishing trade. The composition is compact and naturalistic in the archaic Greek tradition, with fine detail visible in the wing feathers and the bird's alert posture. The entire device is contained within a smooth, slightly domed field enclosed by the raised rim of the circular flan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos was the dominant producer of electrum coinage in the Greek world for roughly two centuries, and its hektes functioned as a trusted international currency across the Aegean and Black Sea trade networks — accepted far beyond Mysia because the city maintained an unusually consistent electrum alloy at a time when many mints debased freely. The series ran through well over 200 documented types, each sharing the tunny fish reverse as a mint identifier while rotating obverse types with remarkable variety.
Von Fritze's classification remains the standard reference, though new types continue to surface from the Pontic region.