$5.25 AUD
Availability: 1 in stock
On offer here is another great example of the 1978 100 Drachmas  currency banknote from Greece.
This one is in really nice overall condition and will boost your currency collection nicely.
If one has ever visited Athens or Greece then the buildings and symbolical drawings will please you greatly.
It is a large note and the quality is quite apparent here in these high resolution pictures.
1978 Greece 100 Drachmas
Date of Issue: 8 December 1978.
Theme: Education and its contribution to the nation’s independence.
Obverse: Head of Athena of Piraeus, goddess of wisdom and crafts, war and strategy, and inventions in science, industry, art and agriculture, a bronze statue from an Archeological
Museum of Piraeus, wearing a crested Corinthian helmet, with Medusa’s locks visible at her neck. Neoclassical headquarters of the University of Athens.
Reverse: Adamantios Korais (1748-1833), a classical scholar and medical doctor who earned the title of “Teacher of the Greek Nation” for his role in the intellectual revival that took place in Greece before the outbreak of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. The image is based on a portrait in the National Historical Museum in Athens. Church of Arkadi Monastery in Crete, a symbol of Greek independence from Turkey.
Watermark: Head of Charioteer of Delphi (Heniokhos), commissioned by Polyzalus, Delphi Archeological Museum.
Predominant colour: Light brown / red.
Printer: Idryma Trapezis Tis Ellados.
Dimensions: 158 x 67 mm
Catalogue: P.200b
The Arkadi Monastery (in Greek: / Monà ArkadhÃou) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, situated on a fertile plateau 23 km (14 mi) to the southeast of Rethymnon on the island of Crete (in Greece).
The current catholicon (church) dates back to the 16th century and is marked by the influence of the Renaissance. This influence is visible in the architecture, which mixes both Roman and baroque elements. As early as the 16th century, the monastery was a place for science and art and had a school and a rich library. Situated on a plateau, and surrounded by a thick and high wall, the monastery is also built like a fortress.
The monastery played an active role in the Cretan resistance of Ottoman rule during the Cretan revolt in 1866. 943 Greeks, mostly women and children, sought refuge in the monastery. After three days of battle and under orders from the hegumen (abbot) of the monastery, the Cretans blew up barrels of gunpowder, choosing to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender.
The monastery became a national sanctuary in honor of the Cretan resistance. November 8 is a day of commemorative parties in Arkadi and Rethymno. The explosion did not end the Cretan insurrection, but it attracted the attention of the rest of the world.
*all history from Wikipedia for educational purposes
