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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 454 BC - 427 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 10.0 mm |
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| Obverse description | Facing head of Silenos rendered in high relief, turned slightly to the left, dominating the flan. The bearded satyr displays characteristically archaic features: deeply set eyes with prominent brow ridges, a broad, flat nose, and a thick, finely striated beard rendered with carefully engraved parallel lines. Wild, flowing hair is indicated by bold incised strokes swept to the right of the field. The modelling exhibits the confident plasticity characteristic of early Classical Greek electrum coinage from Lesbos. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Mytilene and Phokaia operated a formal agreement — likely established by the mid-fifth century — to issue electrum hektai on a shared weight standard, a rare instance of inter-polis monetary cooperation in the Aegean world. Mytilene's issues circulated well beyond Lesbos, finding their way into hoards from the Black Sea to Egypt. The electrum itself was not refined to a fixed fineness; alloy composition varies measurably across dies, which complicates any attempt to assign precise intrinsic values to individual pieces.