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Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Electrum |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square divided into four recessed compartments of alternating depth, formed by the punch of the reverse die and characteristic of early Greek electrum coinage technique. The incuse design, visible in the image as a bold cruciform depression with four distinct rectangular fields, served primarily as a functional countermark to verify the coin's metal content. The surface within each quadrant shows the irregular texture typical of hammered archaic coinage. |
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| 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 with direct access to both Black Sea trade routes and Aegean commerce, became the dominant electrum-minting city of the ancient world during this period. The Kyzikene stater and its fractions, including the hekte, functioned as a trusted international currency across Greek settlements far beyond the Bithynian coast — a remarkable achievement for a regional mint. The natural electrum source here carried a higher gold-to-silver ratio than Lydian material, which specialists argue contributed to the consistent trust placed in these coins by merchants.
Von Fritze's classification of this hekte places it among the tuna-reverse types, the tunny fish being the persistent reverse type that authenticated Kyzikene issues across generations of dies and changing obverse designs.