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Hemidrachm
| Issuer | Mytilene |
|---|---|
| Year | 350 BC - 250 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 chelys-type lyre depicted facing, rendered schematically with a broad rectangular sound-box at the base, two upright arms, and a crossbar from which the strings descend. To the left of the lyre a single upright staff or plectrum is visible, and the entire design is set within a plain incuse square with slightly irregular borders characteristic of hammered coinage. The composition is bold and centrally placed, filling the available flan with confident, stylized engraving. |
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| Mint | Mytilene, Lesbos |
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| Additional information |
Mytilene, the dominant polis of Lesbos, operated one of the more unusual monetary systems in the Aegean world. The city's primary coinage was the electrum hekte — a sixth-stater struck in natural gold-silver alloy — and this silver hemidrachm functioned as a fractional complement to that system rather than as part of a conventional silver standard. The relationship between the two metals in circulation here was driven largely by Mytilene's position as a major trading hub in the northeastern Aegean, where diverse coinages from Thrace, Asia Minor, and the Aegean islands all intersected.
The broad date range assigned to this type reflects genuine uncertainty; the series lacks the archival mint records that would allow tighter attribution.