ATHENS AND SPARTA

4. 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.

5. • 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.