2 euro Cyprus 2017 Paphos – the European Capital of Culture UNC

Greek collectible gold proof coin with a face value of 50 euros, for Ancient Pella where it became the capital of the Macedonian state at the end of the 5th - beginning of the 4th century BC, maximum number of pieces 4,000, mint Bank of Greece, issue in 2012. The photo is indicative, the coin you will receive is in the original box along with the certificate of authenticity. Pella supplanted Aigai as the capital of the Macedonian state at the turn of the 5th and 4th centuries BC and soon evolved into a major political, economic and cultural centre in Greece. The birthplace of Alexander the Great, Pella reached its peak during the Hellenistic period. The rich archaeological finds, notably the palace complex, temples and sumptuous private houses, provide a wealth of information about the city’s layout, architecture and economic life. The mosaic floors and the wall-paintings, rare surviving samples of ancient Greek painting, attest to the prosperity of the city and its inhabitants. Pella fell to the Romans in 168/167 BC and began to lose importance once the seat of the Roman province of Macedonia, created in 148 BC, was transferred to Thessaloniki. Pella was destroyed by an earthquake, most probably in the early 1st century BC.

Greek collectible gold proof coin with a face value of 200 euros, for Aristotle (384-322 BC), maximum number of 600 pieces, Bank of Greece mint, issued in 2014. A student of Plato’s and tutor to Alexander the Great, Aristotle was one of the great figures of ancient Greek philosophy. Born in Stageira, Chalkidiki, Aristotle spent many years in Athens, where, after leaving Plato’s Academy, he later founded a school of his own, the Lyceum. Distancing himself from the idealism of the Academy, Aristotle believed that true knowledge should be acquired through empirical observation and sense perception. His work laid the foundations for numerous disciplines, such as logic, physics, biology, psychology, ethics, rhetoric and political science. His influence was immense until the Renaissance, spreading across major civilisations, from the Arab to the Western European.