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Hemihekte
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | 8.0 mm |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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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 | Plain quadripartite incuse square divided into four roughly equal recessed compartments by raised ridges meeting at the centre, a hallmark of early archaic Greek coinage technique. The incuse is deeply impressed and irregular in outline, reflecting the hammered production method typical of sixth-century electrum issues. The surface within the compartments is granular and uneven, consistent with the punch-struck reverses of Kyzikene hemihektes of this period. No inscription or additional device is present. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Kyzikos (Mysia) |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos, positioned on the Propontis with direct access to both Black Sea trade routes and Aegean commerce, became one of the ancient world's most trusted electrum minting authorities. Its issues circulated far beyond Mysia — Kyzikene staters appear in hoards from the Levant to the northern Pontic steppe, accepted by weight and reputation rather than by any issuing state's decree. The hemihekte, at one-twelfth of a stater, served the fractional demands of that same mercantile network.
The electrum used was naturally occurring from regional sources, its precise gold-to-silver ratio variable enough that individual pieces were likely weighed rather than counted in high-value transactions.