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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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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 |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square of mill-sail (swastika-like) type, formed by four recessed rectangular compartments divided by raised ridges meeting at the centre, produced by the punch of the reverse die. The four sunken quarters are of unequal depth and show granular texture from the hammering process. No legend or subsidiary device is present. This standard incuse reverse is characteristic of early Archaic electrum coinage from western Asia Minor and serves as authentication of the coin's weight and authenticity. |
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| Mint | Cyzicus, modern-day Kapıdağ Peninsula, Turkey |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos was among the most prolific issuers of electrum coinage in the ancient Greek world, and its hektes circulated far beyond Mysia — they functioned as a de facto trade currency across the Black Sea littoral and into the Greek mainland. The city's position on the Propontis made it a transit point for grain, slaves, and raw materials moving between the Pontic region and the Aegean, and its coinage was trusted precisely because the electrum alloy was consistent enough to be relied upon without assay.
The tuna on the reverse — the city's persistent ethnic badge across virtually all its electrum issues — reflects the tuna migration routes through the Propontis that formed a cornerstone of Kyzikene commercial life.