West Asian mint

1/2 Mina

Lead

Cast

Square

4.60 cm

4.80 cm

1.30 cm

Mass (g)	Mass (grain)	Date of measurement	Reference	fragmented	cleaned	reference weight
246.28	-	-	Tekin 2013i	No	No	Yes

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche
Fish	Relief	LEFT

Worn

Tekin 2013i: The weight measures 48 x 46 x 13 mm and weighs 246.28 g; it is nearly square in form with rounded corners; there is a depression on the left bottom corner; it is worn. On the obverse is a fish in relief placed horizontally, to left; there is no inscription or mark indicating the ethnic or its denomination. Although the fish with its plain anatomy resembles a tuna fish, it should be a dolphin since it has a beak or a marked nose and a large tail. There is a depression on the side near the head which gives an impression of a pectoral fin but it is solely a depression. The reverse of the weight is plain. Although it does not bear its unit name, its mass corresponds to a hemimnaion. And although it does not bear the ethnic, one may conclude that this weight belongs to Cyzicus since it was found at Dascylium, where Cyzicene weights are found commonly. Besides, dolphin is a symbol seen on the Cyzicene weights although not so frequent. With this example, a hemimnaion is added to the units of the known examples with dolphin device – distateron, hemistateron and mna. The masses of the Cyzicene hemimnaion are 280.87 g, 254.05 g, 252 g, 243.2 g, 234.8 g, 227.85 g and 221.20 g; they usually bear the abbreviation of ethnic (KYZI) and unit name (HMI).

No

Language	Technique	Legend type

GREEK

Tekin 2013i: The present weight dates back to the Hellenistic Period.

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
University of Ankara	None	None

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Tekin 2013i	122–123;127	None	1	None
Tekin 2016a	72	17	None	None

Mint: Cyzicus ? (Tekin 2016a).