Greece · 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae

Issue date30 Jun 2020

Total mintage750,000

EU maximum750,000

Editions4

Edge letteringΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ + ★

Inscription100. JAHRESTAG DER SCHLACHT BEI DEN THERMOPYLEN / HELLENISCHE REPUBLIK / 2020

DesignerGeorgios Stamatopoulos

mintBank of Greece - Mint, Halandri

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae, which, despite the Greek defeat, is regarded as a timeless symbol of heroic resistance. The design depicts an ancient Greek helmet surrounded by inscriptions referring to the battle and the “HELLENIC REPUBLIC”. In the background are a palmette as the mint mark and the monogram of the artist George Stamatopoulos.

The design

The coin design depicts an ancient Greek helmet. Along the inner rim of the coin, the inscriptions “100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE” and “HELLENIC REPUBLIC” can be seen. In the background, the year of issue “2020” and a palmette (the mint mark of the Greek mint) are also visible. The artist’s monogram (George Stamatopoulos) is located at the bottom right of the helmet. Despite the defeat suffered, the Battle of Thermopylae remains a timeless symbol of heroic resistance for the Greeks.

The twelve stars of the European flag are depicted on the outer ring of the coin.

Background on the topic

The Persian Great King Xerxes I led an army into Greece after his father, Darius I, had already attempted to subjugate several Greek city-states. At that time, Thermopylae was a narrow passage between the mountains and the Gulf of Malia. He himself remained behind with the Spartans and contingents from Thespiae and Thebes. At the same time, Greek and Persian fleets fought at Cape Artemisium. The memory of Thermopylae is based primarily on the historical work of Herodotus and on ancient epitaphs.