Numismatic Programme 2025

How could a composer, a mathematician, an astronomer, a sculptor and an insect combine in the concept of a numismatic programme? In ancient Greece, the Pythagoreans regarded proportions in the movements of celestial bodies as a form of music (music of the spheres or harmony of the spheres), fusing together mathematics, music and astronomy. Using cutting-edge sonification technology, NASA has actually managed to capture the eerie music of planetary motion. Thus, this year’s programme features a leading modern Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis; the mathematical genius Eratosthenes, the first to calculate the circumference of the Earth (in our Mathematicians series); Ptolemy, inventor of the spherical astrolabe (in our Ancient Greek technology series); and the path-breaking sculptor Takis, creator of musical sculptures (Musicals). Together they compose the harmony of the spheres, to the accompaniment of the incorrigible cicada of Aesop’s fable The cicada and the ant.

Turning to our long-standing series, we continue to commemorate bicentenaries of dramatic events that took place in the 1820s, the decade when the Greeks fought for and won their independence. This year’s coins are dedicated to the Battle of Maniaki, in which the iconic priest and fighter Papaflessas was killed; the heroine Laskarina Bouboulina; and the Italian philhellene Santorre di Santarosa. The next theme in our Tourism series is the region of Thessaly, home to the Centaurs and starting point of the Argonautic Expedition, while our Cultural heritage series is represented by the Unesco-listed monasteries of Meteora, perched on top of gigantic rocks.

The year 2025 marks the completion of the Olympian gods series with the hearth goddess, Hestia. Next in our Endangered fauna of Greece series is the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), particularly vulnerable after the recent disastrous wildfires in its habitat, the Dadia forest. And with the climate crisis in full swing, we are issuing a coin to support the UN’s initiative to declare 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. Last but not least, we commemorate 50 years from the foundation of the War Museum, a treasure-trove of war memorabilia from Greece’s long history.