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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 521 BC - 478 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing right, the naturalistic head of a ram in high relief dominates the obverse field, with a boldly rendered spiral horn and finely incised fleece detail. Beneath the ram's head, a cock is depicted standing left in low relief, its beak inclined downward as if pecking at the ground. The design is characteristic of the refined archaic engraving tradition of Mytilene, demonstrating sophisticated plastic modeling within a small flan. No legend or inscription appears on this side. The flan edges are irregular, as is typical of early electrum coinage struck by hand. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (521 BC - 478 BC) |
| Additional information |
Mytilene and Phocaea jointly dominated early electrum coinage in the eastern Aegean, and the hekte denomination formed the backbone of that output for centuries. This particular issue falls within the archaic phase, predating the formal convention the two cities later adopted — likely around 478 BC — under which they alternated types on a shared weight standard. The alliance itself was remarkable: two rival poleis coordinating monetary policy with enough discipline that their coins circulated interchangeably across Ionian trade networks.
Bodenstedt 16 places this among the earlier, pre-convention types.