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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Round (irregular) |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square, divided into four equal recessed compartments arranged in a windmill or alternating relief pattern, a hallmark of early Greek coinage technique. The incuse is deeply impressed and irregular in outline, consistent with hand-struck hammered coinage of the period. The surface within each quadrant shows tooling marks typical of Kyzikenian electrum hektes. No legends or subsidiary devices are present. The field is otherwise plain. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos, positioned on the Propontis, dominated electrum coinage production for nearly two centuries, and its hekte series functioned as a de facto international trade currency across the Greek world. The city's electrum was naturally occurring from the Pactolus River region, giving Kyzkene issues a relatively consistent alloy that merchants and mercenary paymasters alike learned to trust. Von Fritze 208 falls within a prolific but carefully varied series — Kyzikos rotated its obverse types with unusual frequency, rarely repeating a design, which has made systematic die study extraordinarily complex.