| In 2004, the Olympic Games are
returning to their ancient birthplace and the city of their revival
- Athens, Greece. The long journey of the Olympic Games began more
than 2,700 years ago. Records show that the ancient Olympic Games
were held in Greece as early as 776 BC when the core values of Olympism
first began to develop into benchmarks of human creativity and excellence.
Over the centuries, the Games have highlighted extraordinary examples
of achievement. The city of Athens has a rich and long history and
holds a prominent place in Greek Mythology. It is fitting, therefore,
that the two coins issued by Sierra Leone should depict portraits
of two of the Ancient Greek Gods: Apollo and Nike. Apollo - the
first coin carries a portrait of Apollo as The Archer. Apollo was
the son of Zeus and as well as being the God of Music he was known
as The Archer and it was said that he could shoot an arrow for great
distances with his silver bow. Archery, with all its various disciplines
is very much part of the modern day Olympic Games. Nike - the second
coin portrays the Greek Goddess Nike who was said to be the daughter
of one of the Titans. Despite this, Nike fought on the side of the
Greek Gods against the Titans and was considered to represent the
victory of the Olympians. Nike symbolised victory in many areas
of ancient Greek life, including athletics.
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