Cyzicos

1/2 Stater

Lead

Cast

Square

2.20 cm

2.20 cm

0.30 cm

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

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche
Dolphin	Relief	RIGHT

Tekin 2013i: The weight measures 22 x 22 x 3 mm and weighs 8.93 g with slightly rounded corners. On the obverse, there is a dolphin, to right, the dolphin is flanked by the words of KYZI and ΗΜΙΣ, all in relief. The tail of the dolphin is taller than usual and curled. Dolphins are rarely seen on the Cyzicene weights; in fact, the civic badges of Cyzicus were tuna fish and torch. The reverse of the weight is blank. While KYZI denotes that the weight belonged to Cyzicus or rather to the people of Cyzicus (Κυζικηνῶν); ΗΜΙΣ denotes that it was a hemistateron (ἡμιστάτηρον) i.e. a “half-stater”. The surviving hemistateron weights of Cyzicus vary from 8.65 g to 17.75 g. This means that the average mass was somewhere between 12 and 15 g because the masses of the staters also vary from 17.65 g to 30.52 g. Since the mass of the present weight is 8.93 g, it should be half of a stater of 17.86 g (8.93 g x 2). The varying masses of the same units may be explained by the change in the weight standard in Cyzicus in time.

No

Language	Technique	Legend type
Greek	Relief	Denomination, Mint

ΚΥΖΙ

ΗΜΙΣ

Κυζι(κηνῶν) | ἡμισ(τάτηρον).

GREEK

FROM -400 TO -1

Tekin 2013i: Considering that the standard was on the rise in time, the present weight may be dated to the early Hellenistic Period. In fact, on the present weight, which was used to check the masses of the coins of precious metal in the market, it reads Σ instead of C in ΗΜΙΣ and this may indicate its Hellenistic character, although it is not an absolute criterion.

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
University of Ankara	None	None

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Köker 2009	None	None	None	non vidi
Tekin 2013i	123;127	None	2	None
Tekin 2013j	46–47	None	None	Tekin 2013i says "with a revised and corrected commentary."
Tekin 2016a	80;186	133	pl. 12/fig. 83	None

Probably the same mould as https://pondera.uclouvain.be/artifact/14053/ and https://pondera.uclouvain.be/artifact/14581/