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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene (Lesbos) |
|---|---|
| Year | 377 BC - 326 BC |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 10 mm |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Apollo facing right, rendered in fine archaic-to-classical Greek style. The deity is depicted with flowing hair falling behind the neck, bound by a laurel wreath with carefully detailed leaves. The facial features are finely modelled, with a straight nose, slightly parted lips, and a well-defined eye, characteristic of the skilled die-engravers of Mytilene. The portrait fills the flan with commanding presence, typical of the high-quality electrum coinage of Lesbos. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Mytilene's electrum hektai were struck under a highly unusual civic arrangement: the city issued them in matched obverse-reverse pairs, with each new emission introducing a fresh combination of types, a practice sustained across roughly two centuries of production. Bodenstedt catalogued 114 such pairings, making this one of the most systematically documented electrum series in Greek numismatics. The natural alloy sourced from the region gave these coins a gold content hovering around 43–46%, somewhat lower than Lydian electrum, a variation detectable through specific gravity testing.