Greece

2010

Commemorative coin

2.500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon

Official Journal of the European Union

The inner part of the coin shows a synthesis of a shield and a runner/warrior symbolising the battle for freedom and the noble ideals derived from the battle of Marathon. The bird on the shield symbolises the birth of western civilization at his present form. Around the image it is written in Greek ‘ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝΑΣ/2500 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ/490 Π.Χ./2010 Μ.Χ.’ and the issuing country ‘ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ’. The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Additional information

The coin depicts a fighting Hoplite at the Battle of Marathon with a spear and an oversized shield, a protective weapon. This is intended to symbolise the noble ideals of freedom and perseverance for which the Battle of Marathon stands, while the bird on the shield is intended to symbolise the birth of Western civilisation. The conflict resulted from the attempt of the Persian Great King Darius I to intervene in Athens with an expeditionary corps and bring about a change of rule.

Edge lettering

Designer