Numismatic Programme 2022

he flagship of last year’s numismatic programme was the special commemorative coin series to mark 200 years since the Greek Revolution of 1821,
produced by IETA on behalf of the “Greece 2021” Committee. However, as the Greek Revolution spanned almost an entire decade, we will have the opportunity,
over the next few years, to commemorate several upcoming bicentenaries of the heroic Greek uprising.

Thus, our numismatic programme for 2022 will feature three commemorations in relation to the Greek Revolution:

• a silver coin dedicated to the 200 years from the Chios massacre, the tragic event immortalised by Eugène Delacroix;
• a commemorative €2 coin to honour the bicentennial of the First Greek Constitution, adopted in January 1822 during the First National Assembly of the revolted Greeks; and
• a silver coin dedicated to Lord Byron, the most iconic Philhellene, with which we launch our new series in tribute to the Philhellenic movement that did so much to advance the cause of Greek independence.

Two other themes feature prominently in our numismatic programme 2022:

• the fascinating Antikythera mechanism, in a new series launched this year, entitled Ancient Greek technology; and
• the 100 years from the Asia Minor Disaster, which led to the eradication of the Greek element from Asia Minor.

Our numismatic programme for 2022 will, of course, also include products in our popular long-standing series:

• Ares, god of war (in our Olympian Gods series);
• Xenophon, an Athenian historian and prolific writer of diverse works (in our Historians series);
• the enchanting island of Chios (in our Greek Tourism series);
• the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, one of the best preserved of antiquity (in our Cultural Heritage series);
• Paeonia Parnassica, a majestic endemic wildflower of mounts Parnassos and Elikonas in Central Greece (in our Endemic flora of Greece series) and
• 2022 – International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, in keeping with our tradition of honouring UN-declared years.
• Last but not least, a commemorative €2 coin is dedicated to the 35 years of the “Erasmus” programme, an anniversary celebrated across the euro area.