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Hekte - Alyattes II Branch mint
| Issuer | Kings of Lydia |
|---|---|
| Year | 610 BC - 560 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A large, deeply struck double incuse square punch dominating the reverse, divided into two roughly equal rectangular compartments by a central ridge, the surfaces within showing irregular striations and tool marks from the punch application. This simple but characteristic incuse design is typical of early Lydian and Ionian electrum fractional coinage, serving a functional rather than decorative purpose. The flan edges show the characteristic cracking associated with hammered electrum pieces of this period. No legend or subsidiary device is present. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Alyattes II extended Lydian power across western Anatolia through decades of grinding warfare, most famously a five-year conflict with the Medes that ended only when a solar eclipse in 585 BC shocked both armies into a truce. These electrum fractions — struck at a branch facility rather than Sardis itself — were almost certainly produced to pay mercenary troops in the field, the logistics of distant campaigns demanding portable, high-value coinage closer to the action.
The natural electrum alloy varies noticeably in gold-to-silver ratio from piece to piece, a consequence of tapping multiple river sources. Croesus, Alyattes' son, would eventually standardize the alloy — effectively ending the hekte's long run.