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Myshemihekte - Alyattes II Sardes
| Issuer | Kings of Lydia |
|---|---|
| Year | 630 BC - 553 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Drachm |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Lion's paw in low relief, rendered in a schematic yet naturalistic style characteristic of early Lydian coinage. The paw is depicted facing downward, with claw details faintly visible on the convex globular flan. The surface exhibits the typical bean-shaped, domed form associated with archaic electrum fractions. No legend or inscription is present; the design occupies the entirety of the obverse field. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (630 BC - 553 BC) |
| Additional information |
Lydian electrum fractions like this mysheмihekte — one ninety-sixth of a stater — represent the earliest phase of coined money anywhere in the world, predating Athens, Rome, and every Persian issue. Alyattes II, father of the more famous Croesus, is credited by most scholars with formalizing the Lydian mint at Sardis, transforming what had been irregular lumps of naturally occurring electrum into a guaranteed weight series. The alloy itself was not fully controlled at this stage; the gold-silver ratio varied piece to piece, which the Lydian treasury apparently accepted as long as weight held.