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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| 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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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square deeply punched into the reverse field, divided into four recessed compartments of unequal size by raised ridges, consistent with early fifth-century BC hammered coinage technique. The incuse punch is irregularly impressed, reflecting hand-struck production. No inscription or secondary device is present. The reverse is entirely uninscribed, as is standard for Kyzikene hektes of this period. |
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| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated the electrum coinage trade across the Greek world from the sixth century well into the fourth, issuing an extraordinary range of hekte types — over two hundred distinct obverse designs are documented — each produced in relatively small runs before the dies were retired. The city's position on the Propontis made it a commercial hub where Greek, Persian, and Thracian interests converged, and Kyzkene hektes circulated far beyond their mint city, turning up in hoards from the Black Sea coast to the Levant.
The electrum itself was not a natural alloy but deliberately engineered, with the gold-to-silver ratio controlled by the mint to a consistent standard — a level of metallurgical precision that gave Kyzkene coinage its commercial credibility across generations.