Hekte

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.