Myshemihekte

Mylasa, an ancient Carian city in what is now southwestern Turkey, was among the earliest adopters of coinage in the Greek world, and these fractional electrum pieces represent some of the smallest denominations struck anywhere in the archaic period. The hekte itself is a sixth of a stater; this is a sixteenth of that — a denomination so small it strains credibility as a practical transaction medium, yet hoards confirm they circulated.

The natural electrum alloy varies noticeably across Carian issues of this period, with gold content fluctuating in ways that suggest local river sources rather than refined blending.