Moneta Grecia 2 Euros Commémo. 2020 - 2500 years since the Battle of Thermopylae

2 Euros Commemorative GREECE 2020

Theme: 2,500 years of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Bi-metallic (centre: nickel silver - ring: cupronickel) - 8 5 g - 25 75 mm in diameter - 2 20 mm thick.
Issue: 750,000 (UNC)

The Battle of Thermopylae pitted an alliance of Greek cities against the Achaemenid Empire in 480 BC. The Greek army of around 7,000 Hoplites attempted to hold off the Persian army of between 70,000 and 300,000 soldiers at the entrance to the Thermopylae defile, which gave access to central Greece along the Aegean Sea.
As a result of a Persian manoeuvre, many Greeks abandoned the battlefield and only the 300 Spartan soldiers under King Leonidas I and 700 soldiers from Thespia under Demophilos decided to fight to the death despite being outnumbered. This manoeuvre was intended to give the Greeks time to organise their defence. This battle became a symbol of Greek resistance, as the Greeks retained their independence after their victories at Salamis in September 480 BC and Plataea in 479 BC.

The courage and sacrifice of the Spartans, who have become the stuff of legend, have been repeated many times in popular culture, even though the Persians achieved a strategic victory at the cost of considerable losses.

Edge: grooved and inscribed with the words ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ*" in the Greek alphabet, which means Hellenic Republic for Republic of Greece.