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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 | 1.37 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Quadripartite incuse square occupying the full reverse field, divided into four recessed triangular sections by a raised cross, characteristic of the hammered incuse technique employed on archaic electrum fractional coinage of the sixth century BC. The incuse is deeply struck and clearly defined, consistent with the punched reverse dies of the period. |
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| Mint | Kyzikos |
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| Additional information |
Kyzikos was the dominant source of electrum coinage in the Greek world during the sixth and fifth centuries BC, and its issues circulated far beyond the Black Sea region — hoards containing Kyzikene coins have been recovered across mainland Greece, Anatolia, and as far as the Levant. The city's electrum was drawn from alluvial deposits and likely supplemented with silver to achieve a relatively consistent fineness, though the natural variation in local electrum means no two pieces are strictly identical in composition.
The hemihekte represents one-twelfth of the Kyzikene stater, a denomination almost certainly struck for use in large-scale mercantile transactions where fractional precision mattered.