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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 |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Von Fritze#41 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Deep quadripartite incuse square divided into four roughly equal rectangular compartments by a raised cross-shaped ridge, struck in the standard mill-sail or windmill pattern typical of archaic electrum coinage from the Asia Minor region. The incuse impression is bold and irregular, with a granular surface texture visible within the recessed fields, resulting from the primitive punch technique employed by the Kyzikene mint during this period. |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (550 BC - 500 BC) |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos, a Milesian colony on the Propontis, built much of its commercial power on a near-monopoly in Black Sea tuna fishing — and its electrum coinage was the preferred trading currency across that entire maritime network for well over a century. The city controlled local electrum sources and maintained a reputation for consistent alloy quality that rivals from Phokaia and Lesbos rarely matched.
Von Fritze's classification of this hemihekte reflects the sorting work done on hoards recovered largely from Anatolia and the northern Aegean. The series shows no mint marks or magistrate signatures — attribution rests entirely on fabric, alloy characteristics, and the distinctive Kyzikene tunny fish on the reverse.