Catalog
Hekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Electrum Stater (600-330BC) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square dominating the reverse field, divided into four recessed sections by raised ridges intersecting at right angles, characteristic of the archaic incuse punch technique used on early Greek electrum coinage. The four quarters display a slightly irregular, rough texture resulting from the hammer strike. No legend or additional devices are present. This standard reverse type is consistent with Kyzikene hektes of the 5th to 4th century BC. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND - 5th-4th century BC |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos dominated electrum coinage in the Aegean for roughly two centuries, and its hektes served as a de facto international trading currency across Greek and Persian-controlled territories alike. The city's position on the Propontis made it a natural clearinghouse for Black Sea grain commerce, and Kyzikene electrum was accepted far beyond any single city-state's political reach. Jameson 2201 falls within a series whose precise dating remains contested, the natural variation in electrum alloy composition at Kyzikos making metallurgical analysis an unreliable chronological tool.