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Hekte
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 478 BC - 455 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Facing bust of the bearded Silenos rendered in high relief, turned slightly to the right, with characteristically broad snub nose, heavy jowls, thick lips parted in a faint grin, and a wild wreath of curling hair and beard framing the face. The modelling is vigorous and expressive, displaying the archaic Greek engraver's skill in depicting the mythological satyr. The flan fills the entire obverse field with no border or inscription. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Mytilene and Phocaea operated a joint electrum coinage under a treaty — confirmed by the remarkable consistency in weight standards across both cities' issues — though each city struck its own distinct types. This particular hekte falls within the decades immediately following the Persian Wars, when Mytilene was navigating the transition from loose Aegean autonomy to the increasingly extractive obligations of Athenian alliance. The Delian League's tribute assessments, which began in 454 BC, applied direct financial pressure on Lesbian poleis, making issues from this window genuinely transitional documents of a city's monetary independence under strain.