Kingdom of Lydia, Croesus, Light Trite

The highest denomination in Croesus' coinage system was the stater. The next smaller value was the siglos of exactly half a stater's weight. A third of a stater was called a trite.

Interestingly enough, Croesus (561-546 BC) based his further denominations on the trite and not, as might be expected, on the siglos. The next smaller denominations thus were a sixth of a stater (hecte) and a twelfth of a stater (hemihecte). The smallest coin known from Croesus' currency is the 1/24 stater, which weighs only 0.44 gram.

What we take for granted today – for we calculate in dollars and cents, pounds and pennies quite naturally – was something absolutely new in the mid-6th century BC. Croesus therefore is regarded as inventor of our modern monetary system.