732) Herodotus (484 - 425 BC): "Father of History": The first coin in a new Coin Series titled " Greek Historians": A 10 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Bank of Greece on 30.05.2018:
Other interesting posts on Greek Coinage and commemorative coins:
The Bank of Greece has brought out the first 10 Euro Silver Proof coin on 30.05.2018, under its "Greek Historians Coin Series". This Coin Series will present many personalities who have shaped the nature of recorded history since oral traditions began to get recorded for posterity.
The first coin features on the man who is considered to be the "Father of History" - Herodotus from Halicarnassus ( 484 - 425 BC).
He is remembered as an ancient Greek historian, whose work and recordings during the Persian Wars with the Greek City-States constituted a greater and permanent knowledge of the events which occurred.
He was born in the settlement of Halicarnassus, a Greek city in South-west Asia Minor that was then a part of the Persian Empire, the precise dates of his birth and passing away are obscured in the mists of time.
He moved to Athens, then the primary City-State within the Greek world and was a contemporary of the writer Sophocles.
He later, moved to the Greek colony of Thourais (present day Sibari in the province of Cosenza, Italy), which was populated by Athenians around 448 BC.
He was in Athens or thereabouts during the early years of the Peloponnesian War around 431 BC and his historical records were published and known there before 425 BC.
Herodotus travelled widely and his writings/recordings attest to having visited a large part of the Persian Empire, including Egypt, as far South as Elephantine (present day Aswan) located in Upper Egypt and also visited Libya, Syria, Babylonia, Lydia and Phrygia in Western and Central Anatolia.
In addition, he also journeyed to parts of Byzantium, such as - the Dardanelles, Thrace and Macedonia and travelled as far North beyond the Danube and to Scythia along the Northern shores of the Black Sea.
His narrative contained a number of excursions that provided a huge wealth of information for the people of his time. Although, his writings have been available for a long time and provide the basis for much of the visualisation of events of that time, there were some credible doubts about the accuracy of his recordings and testaments, which have been by and large removed with the aid of recent historical and archaeological research.
Over the years, there has been a positive evaluation of his work and recognition of the pioneering contribution to historical science by this great historian.
The Commemorative Coin:
The Obverse and Reverse of the 10 Euro Silver Proof Coin which has kick-started the coin Series "Greek Historians"
The Obverse of the 10 Euro Silver Proof Coin
On this face is seen a front-facing portrait/depiction of Herodotus, which is based on an ancient bust of the historian.
The text reads in Greek, on the left periphery - "Herodotus 484-425 BC". The year of issue "2018" is mentioned on the centre right periphery above which is the mint mark of the Greek mint.
The Reverse of the 10 Euro Silver Proof Coin
The Reverse Face of the coin depicts a stylised version of the typical sailing ship prevalent in ancient times, which was used for both - transport of goods and people to the colony of Thouras, the one-time home of Herodotus.
The denominational value of the coin "10 EURO" (mentioned in Greek) is placed towards the lower periphery and "HELLENIC REPUBLIC" (again spelt in Greek) is placed on the upper left periphery.
The specifications of this coin are:
Denomination: 10 Euro; Metal Composition: .925 fineness Silver (Ag); Diameter/Size: 40.0 mm; Weight: 34.1 grams; Coin Quality: Proof; Mintage: 2,000 pieces (maximum); Minted by: Hellenic State Mint at Athens, on behalf of the Bank of Greece; Year of issue: 2018; Designer & Engraver: George Stamatopolous.
Remarks: Each coin is encapsulated and presented/housed in a custom case, accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
I like it, how can I get one and how?
ReplyDeleteHello Alaa,
DeleteI think this was a limited edition of 2,000 coins only from the Bank of Greece, which would have sold already. Perhaps, you could pick it up on a resale.