Step 6 of 6

From Europe to Euro

Related Images

  • Fig. 1. Europe in the Roman era. Bronze coin from the Roman city of Sidon, issued by emperor Elagabalus (218-222 CE). (Reverse) Europe seated on the bull holding a veil over her head - RPC VI (online) 8484 (temporary), [Ashmolean Museum-University of Oxford](https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/6/8484).
  • Fig. 2. Europe in the 90’s. 50-cent coin of the Cypriot pound (1991-2008). (Reverse) Europe on the bull. Based on the coinage type of the Cypriot kingdom of Marion. - [Central Bank of Cyprus](https://www.centralbank.cy/en/banknotes-and-coins/cyprus-pound/pictures-and-descr-of-coins/images-50-cent).
  • Fig. 3. Europe today. 2-euro coin of Greece (2002-present). (Reverse) Europe on the bull. - [European Central Bank](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/gr.en.html).
  • Fig. 4. Mosaic from Sparta with Europa on the bull, now in the “House of Europa”, Sparta. Modern Greek 2-Euro coins are based on this depiction of the myth. [Archaeology.wiki](https://www.archaeology.wiki/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Arpagi_evropis.jpg).

But our journey doesn’t end here. Neither did hers.

A coin with the same image was issued by Timocharis, Stasioikos’ successor. The abduction of Europa by the bull featured in many coins afterwards, some of them issued in Roman times by the Phoenician cities Sidon and Tyre (Fig.1).

This depiction also traveled further through time. The coin of Timocharis inspired Antis Ioannides’ design of the Cypriot 50-cent coin, issued in 1991 (Fig.2). The modern day Greek 2-euro coin also features Europa and the bull (Fig.3), but this time based on a mosaic of the 3rd-4th century CE from Sparta (Fig.4).

In this way, Europa continues to travel. This Phoenician girl, abducted by Zeus-bull, became a queen in Crete and somehow found her way onto the coins of the Cypriot kingdom of Marion, from where she jumped to later Roman coins and eventually into our era.

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