Greece marks the 25th century since the Battle of Thermopylae with a circulating commemorative €2 coin in 2020.

The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas I of Sparta, and the Achaemenid Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, during the second Persian invasion of Greece

The central field of the coin depicts an ancient Greek helmet. Inscribed along the inner edge are the words 2500 YEARS SINCE THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE and HELLENIC REPUBLIC. Also inscribed in the background are the year of issuance and a palmette (the Mint mark of the Greek Mint). Visible down and right of the helmet is the monogram of the artist (George Stamatopoulos).

In total 735,000 coins are being issued for circulation.

The ringed-bimetallic coin has a copper-nickel core and copper-aluminum-nickel ring. The €2 coin weighs 8.5 grams and measures 25.75 millimeters in diameter.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag. The common reverse shows a map of the European Union.

Each nation is allowed to issue up to two different circulating commemorative designs annually, with designs of their choosing, though few nations issue the maximum number of designs.

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