| Description : The prehistory of the city of Paphos can be traced back to the
late Bronze Age ‐ the immigration of Mycenaean Greeks in the late 13th century BC is archaeologically
attested to by rich grave finds. Despite heavy damage from earthquakes the sanctuary of Aphrodite remained intact until the
4th century AD. The sanctuary was under the patronage of the Roman emperors and which, according to Pausanias,
was built by Agapenor of Tegea on his way home from Troy. Cyprus' first own national 2‐euro commemorative coin shows
the Roman Odeon, built in the 2nd century, which after reconstruction is now once more used for music and theatre
performances. The Paphos Archaeological Park was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1980, and Paphos was also
European Capital of Culture in 2017. "ΠΑΦΟΣ 2017 ‐
ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΤΙΚΗ
ΠΡΩΤΕΥΟΥΣΑ ΤΗΣ
ΕΥΡΩΠΗΣ" (Paphos 2017 ‐ European Capital of Culture) and
"ΚΥΠΡΟΣ KIBRIS" (Cyprus, in Greek and Turkish) are engraved in a circle around the motif
which was designed by Georgios Stamatopoulos. The coin was minted without a mint mark by the Greek mint
Νομισματοκοπειο / Nomismatokopeio
(Bank of Greece ‐ Mint) in Halandri. |
