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Hemistater
| Issuer | Erythrai (Ionia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 500 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Lydo-Milesian stater |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 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 divided into four equal rectangular compartments by raised intersecting ridges, forming a cross-shaped divider at the center. The incuse impressions within each quadrant are deeply struck and irregularly textured, typical of the punched reverse technique employed in archaic Lydian and Ionian electrum coinage of the late sixth century BC. The square is well-centered on the flan with slightly uneven borders reflecting hand-struck production. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Erythrai sits on the western Anatolian coast directly opposite Chios, and its electrum coinage was produced during a period when the city maintained enough commercial independence to strike its own fractional issues — something not all Ionian poleis managed before Persian administrative pressure tightened after the Ionian Revolt of 499–494 BC. The natural electrum alloy used by Ionian mints during this window varied considerably in gold-to-silver ratio, and no two issues from different cities can be assumed equivalent in intrinsic value.
The Jameson collection reference places this piece among a small, well-documented group of survivors.