4204) Hestia, the Kind and Forgiving Olympian Goddess, Hellenic Republic of Greece. The last of the €100 Gold Coins in the "Olympian Gods Coin Series": Date/Year of Coin issue: 13.10.2025:
The Bank of Greece has issued the twelfth and final coin in their popular Greek Mythology series. The 100 Euro Gold Coin features Hestia, the Kind and Forgiving Olympian Goddess.
The depiction is based on an image of Hestia dated from the 5th Century BC
Begun in 2014, the series features the twelve Olympian gods and the myths surrounding them.
2025 marks the completion of this innovative series with the last coin featuring Hestia, also known as the hearth goddess. She was the first-born daughter of Kronos and Rhea, and sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Demeter.
In old mythology, she is the Greek goddess of the hearth, home, and family. She represented the hearth of a household – the hearth being the part of every home which contained a fireplace, traditionally made of stone, brick, or metal, where a fire is built to heat the house and cook food.
As such, Hestia was also associated with the greater state and to the smallest details of domestic life.
Hestia was considered to be the gentlest, kindest and most forgiving deity with a discreet nature and was one of only three Olympians who remained a virgin, the other two being Athena and Artemis.
As a virgin goddess, she was highly respected by her followers and received a portion of every sacrifice made to other gods.
For centuries and in honour of the Goddess Hestia, it was tradition for a father to acknowledge and name his new born child by walking around the home’s hearth with the baby in his arms while the daughters of the household tended the hearth’s fire.
In ancient Greece, each city-state possessed a communal hearth, which stood in a temple or the prytaneion – the local government house.
As a deity associated with domesticity, Hestia was unable to participate in the activities of the other Olympians, and had no dedicated temples of her own.
Her Roman counterpart was Vesta, who unlike Hestia did have temples dedicated to her name and attained a wider following.
The Coin:
The Gold Proof Coins have been minted by the Bank of Greece’s own Minting facilities in Athens and designed by Maria Antonatou.
The Reverse of the 100 Euro Gold Proof Coin depicts a seated image of Hestia, dressed in flowing robes and holding up a flowered branch thought to be from a chaste-tree in her right hand.
The depiction is based on an image of Hestia found on an Athenian kylix dated from the 5th Century BC. and housed at the National Archaeological Museum in Tarquinia, Italy.
To the left of the design is the text ΕΣΤΊΑ (Hestia) and to the right ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΜΥΘΟΛΟΓΙΑ (Hellenic Mythology) with the primary design surrounded with a Greek-key motif element along the periphery.
The year of issue, 2025 is placed just to the left of the primary design along with the distinctive palmette mintmark of the Mint of Greece placed just above the year.
The Obverse of the 100 Euro Gold Proof Coin features an ancient Hearth in the shape of a cauldron, a stylised flame emanating from the top opening. To the left of the flame is the Hellenic crest and the text "ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΉ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΊΑ" ("Hellenic Republic") is placed near the left rim. To the right is the coins’ denomination "100 EYPΩ" ("100 Euro").
The primary design is also surrounded with the same Greek-key motif element along the periphery found on the other face.
Denomination Metal Weight Diameter Quality Maximum Mintage
100 EURO 99.99 Gold 3.89 g. 17.5 mm. Proof 1200
- Available from the 13th October, each coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom polished wood-crafted case accompanied with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
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2) Some ancient coins depicting Greek mythology & history
13) Ancient Greek Theatres, Greece: Hellenic Post has brought out a set of five stamps featuring the Ancient Theatres of Dodona, Nocopolis, Kassope, Amvrakia and Gitana (all in Epirus): Stamp issue date: 08.04.2020
14) "MYRTIS", Greece: A 5 Euro Silver Coin dedicated to an 11 year old girl who was a victim of the Plague of Athens (430-426 BC) issued by the Bank of Greece: Coin issue date: 25.02.2020
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