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Hemihekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 600 BC - 550 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Hemihekte (1/2) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
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| 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 divided into four recessed triangular sections by two diagonal grooves intersecting at the center, creating a windmill or mill-sail pattern. The incuse is deeply struck with a rough, granular texture characteristic of archaic hammered electrum coinage from the region. No inscriptions or subsidiary devices are present. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos was the dominant electrum-producing mint of the archaic Greek world, and its coinage circulated far beyond the Propontis — hoards containing Kyzikenoi have been found across the Black Sea littoral, the Levant, and Egypt. The city controlled access to critical tuna migration routes through the straits, and its monetary output appears to have been tied directly to that commercial power rather than to any civic or political mandate in the conventional sense.
The hemiekte represents one-twelfth of the full stater. At this fractional denomination, the die-cutting demands were extreme for the period.