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Hemihekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 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 |
| 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 | Hammered, Incuse |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A quadripartite incuse square, deeply struck and divided into four recessed compartments by a raised cross formed at the center. The incuse punch is well-defined with sharp, squared borders, characteristic of the hammered technique employed in early western Anatolian electrum coinage of the archaic period. The four sunken fields display a slightly granular texture typical of the period's die work. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos maintained one of the most prolific electrum-issuing mints in the ancient Greek world, producing a continuous series of hektes and fractions over roughly two centuries. The city's position on the Propontis made its coinage the dominant trade currency across the Black Sea littoral, trusted precisely because Kyzikene electrum maintained a consistent natural alloy sourced from regional river deposits rather than artificially adjusted metal.
The hemihekte — one-twelfth of a stater — circulated at the smallest practical denomination in this series.