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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 377 BC - 326 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 2.56 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A serpent shown in three-quarter coil, its scaled body rendered in fine relief with the head raised and turned to the right, enclosed within a rectilinear linear frame. The serpent's scales are carefully incised, conveying naturalistic detail consistent with the high artistic standard of Mytilenean electrum coinage. The frame consists of plain raised lines forming a rectangular border, set against a smooth, flat field. No legend or inscription is present. The type is characteristic of the later issues of the Mytilene hekte series. |
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| Mint | Mytilene |
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| Additional information |
Mytilene and Phocaea operated under a formal agreement, renewed periodically, that standardized the weight and fineness of their electrum hektes — one of the few known interstate monetary treaties from the Greek world. This piece falls within the series produced after the Social War of 357–355 BC weakened Athenian control over Aegean allies, a period during which Mytilene reasserted considerable commercial independence. The natural electrum alloy used by Lesbian mints varied in gold-to-silver ratio from die to die, making compositional consistency a secondary concern to weight accuracy.