Hekte

Mytilene's electrum hektes were struck as a joint coinage with Phokaia under a formal agreement between the two cities — one of the few documented inter-polis mint arrangements in the Greek world. The alliance, likely formalized around 478 BC and periodically renewed, alternated issuing rights, meaning Mytilene and Phokaia produced distinct types in rotation rather than simultaneously. This particular issue falls within the floruit of that arrangement.

The electrum itself is natural Lydian alloy, not artificially blended, with gold content typically running near 43% — consistent enough across the series that ancient merchants could rely on it without assay.