5 Euros Myrtis

Reverse

The obverse features a bust of Myrtis, a name conventionally given to an eleven-year-old girl who died in the Plague
of Athens (430-426 BC) during the Peloponnesian War.
The rim is adorned with sprays of myrtle, as the girl’s name alludes to the myrtle tree.

Script: Greek

Lettering:
ΜΥΡΤΙΣ
2020

Translation:
MYRTIS
2020

Engraver: Geórgios Stamatópoulos

Edge

Plain

Comment

Myrtis is the name given by archaeologists to an 11-year-old girl from ancient Athens, whose remains were discovered in 1994–95 in a mass grave during work to build the metro station at Kerameikos, Greece. The name was chosen from common ancient Greek names. The analysis showed that Myrtis and two other bodies in the mass grave had died of typhoid fever during the Plague of Athens in 430 BC. Myrtis' skull was in an unusually good condition and Greek orthodontics professor Manolis Papagrigorakis recreated her facial features. The reconstruction process followed the so-called "Manchester method": the facial tissues were laid from the skull surface outward by using depth marker pegs to determine thickness. The shape, size and position of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth were determined through the features of the underlying skeletal tissues. Myrtis' reconstructed face was given brown eyes and red hair, but the true colors of these can only be determined by DNA analysis.[1] The hairstyle she was given follows the fashion of the time. Myrtis was named a friend of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations Regional Information Centre and, as part of the UN campaign “We Can End Poverty”, sent her message to the world about disease prevention.

Issuing date: 25/02/2020
Packaging: Coin box with Certificate of Authenticity
Minting quality: Proof

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
2020	2500	-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 5 Euros (Myrtis) 2020 coin.