Mytilene and Phocaea operated under a formal agreement — likely dating to the sixth century — that regulated the joint production of electrum coinage, with each city striking its own types on a shared weight standard. Mytilene continued this tradition long after most Greek mints had abandoned electrum entirely in favor of silver, making these hektai among the last electrum fractions produced in the Greek world. The 377–326 BC bracket places this piece squarely within the period of Mytilene's shifting allegiances during the Social War and subsequent Persian pressure on the Aegean coast.
Mytilene and Phocaea operated under a formal agreement — likely dating to the sixth century — that regulated the joint production of electrum coinage, with each city striking its own types on a shared weight standard. Mytilene continued this tradition long after most Greek mints had abandoned electrum entirely in favor of silver, making these hektai among the last electrum fractions produced in the Greek world. The 377–326 BC bracket places this piece squarely within the period of Mytilene's shifting allegiances during the Social War and subsequent Persian pressure on the Aegean coast.