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Hekte Erythrai
| Issuer | Erythrai |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 BC |
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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 | The reverse displays a single large incuse square subdivided into two rectangular compartments by a central ridge, forming a divided incuse punch typical of early archaic Greek coinage from Ionia. The surface within the incuse is rough and granular, consistent with the hammered technique employed at this period. No inscription or secondary device is present. The incuse pattern served primarily as a practical mint mark rather than a decorative motif. |
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| Mint | Erythrai, Ionia |
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| Additional information |
Erythrai, an Ionian Greek city on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, was among the earliest poleis to strike electrum coinage — a practice almost certainly borrowed from neighboring Lydian monetary tradition before Lydia's conquest by Cyrus the Great in 547 BC accelerated Greek adoption of coined money across the region. The hekte, a sixth-stater denomination, was the workhorse of early Ionian trade finance.
The Boston MFA pair catalogued as 1806–1807 represent two of the better-documented specimens from this scarce civic issue.