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Stater
| Issuer | Kyzikos |
|---|---|
| Year | 550 BC - 450 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 | 16.04 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A deep quadripartite incuse square subdivided by raised ridges into four recessed compartments of roughly equal size, characteristic of the early hammered coinage technique used throughout the archaic Greek world. The incuse is boldly struck and well-centred within the irregular flan, with the four sections displaying the typical granular surface texture resulting from the punch die. No inscription or secondary device appears within the incuse. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Kyzikos, the Propontic city on the southern shore of the Marmara, dominated electrum coinage production in the Greek world for much of the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Its staters functioned as an international trade currency accepted far beyond local markets — finds have turned up across the Black Sea littoral, the Aegean, and into the Persian-controlled interior. The city's control over both the tuna fishery and key overland routes gave it the commercial reach to sustain that monetary role.
The electrum itself was not a natural alloy but artificially blended, with Kyzikene staters consistently alloyed to roughly 70% gold.