The owl is an ancient symbol of the

wisdom of Athens and is

associated with Athena. It

appeared on coins in Athens as

early as 520 BC.

The coins were called “glaukes” –

after “glaux” the ancient Greek

for owl. This antique design is the

current design for the

contemporary Greek 1-Euro coin.

The design is actually an image of

an old Athenian coin… you can see

the irregular stamp outline, the owl

and an olive branch.

• The letter lambda (Λ),

standing for Laconia or

Lacedaemon, which was

painted on the Spartans'

shields, was first

adopted in the 420s BC,

and quickly became a

widely known Spartan

symbol.