New postal stamps commemorate 2,500 years since the Battle of Thermopylae & Salamis (Photos)

Dedicated to two leading historical events that occurred 2,500 years  ago, the Battle of Thermopylae and the Battle of Salamis, are the eponymous Commemorative Stamp Series that were released on Tuesday by the Hellenic Post, Naftemporiki reported.

Specifically, as mentioned in a relevant announcement of the Hellenic Post, the Commemorative Series of Stamps-Faye of "2,500 years since the battle of Thermopylae," shows the military determination of the famous Spartan King Leonidas as depicted in his statue sculpted by Vassos Falireas.

The series is supplemented by a stamp with the well-known tombstone epigram of Simonides, in which Evangelos D. Protopapadakis, Associate Professor of Applied Ethics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said "just as it happened with the fighters who fell in Thermopylae, it leaves this world and enters an ideal, that of historical memory."

In the Commemorative Stamp Series, the Hellenic Post depicts on a stamp of one of the leading figure of the Greek struggle against the Persian invaders, Themistocles, who was crucial in the Greek naval victory during the Battle of Salamis.

Also depicted are small-built models of ancient Greek and Phoenician ships, from the unique collection of Grypiotis,

The design of the stamps of "Leonidas" and "Themistoklis" were done with the copperplate method by Giannis P. Gourzis, Professor of the School of Fine Arts, while the design and adaptation of the rest of the stamps and products was done by Dr. Myrsini Vardopoulou, stamp engraver for the Hellenic Post.

The postage stamps and the philatelic products are available in the online store (eShop) of the Hellenic Post Office's website - www.elta.gr, in the Post Collection store - Central Philatelic Office, 5 Lykourgou & Apellos, and in all the post offices of the country.

These are sure to sell quickly and stamp collectors or lovers of Ancient Greek history will be sure to snap up the products.