Sunday Stamps: Greece - Hercules

 Normally I would show stamps from a set in denomination order.

Today under the 'labourers' theme they are in the order of the Labours of Hercules. All issued on 16 March 1970 in Greece.

1 Kill the Nemean Lion

2 Kill the Lernean Hydra

4 Capture the Erymanthian Boar

6 Kill the Stymphalian Birds

10 Capture the Cattle of Geryon

Unfortunately there was only 11 in the set and I have so far not matched up the designs for the rest I have. 

?? Centaur?

???

Can anyone help me out with these?

For other 'labourers' visit Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps - Statues: Cyprus, Greece

 I found several, but none where I know who the statue represents.

Cyprus - 2 September 1968

Issued for the 20th Anniversary of WHO, I guess that this is Aristotle - at least it's the right number of letters in the name.

Greece - 21 November 1966 - Folk art statues

Greece - 28 February 1967 - Greek sculptors

I had hoped to honour Prince Phillip today but the nearest I could get was this miniature sheet Scanned from the collect GB stamps website) showing the memorial to another royal consort.

Great Britain - 24 May 2019

For other statues/memorials visit the links at Sunday Stamps - hero.

Sunday Stamps - Deep Blue Sea: Greece, Malaysia

 This theme proved more difficult than I expected if only to avoid stamps shown before.

Greece - 28 June 1969

Ship were the subject of the series but there is no missing that blue sea.

In Malaysia it was islands and beaches that caught my eye with a least an under water view in this case.

Malaysia - 17 November 2016

For more the deep blue just dip into the links at swimmers on Sunday Stamps.

Sunday Stamps - Women on Stamps: Italy, Greece

 When I saw the 'Women in Art' series on Italian stamps I  realised there was a similarity between them all.

Italy - 2 January 2002

The head is from an Etruscan coin. However I had found another woman as the stamp designer was Christina Bruscaglia.

I now have to check the names shown in the bottom right hand corner of each stamp.

I would like to find a stamp that shows the American Lucille Ball but settled in the end for the lady once known as the Greek Lucille Ball.

Greece - 30 November 2011

This is the actress Rena Vlahopoulou in the series commemorating Greek actors. She died in 2004.

For more ladies you can do no better than visiting and following the links at The dressing table at Sunday Stamps,

Sunday Stamps - Secular Christmas; Canada, Greece

A stamp I only received was a 2012 Christmas stamp from Greece.

Greece - 12 December 2012

I recognised the bauble straight away, but it took a while for me to realise that there was also a pin and a paper clip (?). 

No such problems with last year's Canadian stamp.

Canada - 2 November 2018

Warm and cosy - I'm sure you will agree provided there is no orange in the toe on Christmas Day.

For other Christmas stamps just follow the links at Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps 'P4' - Belgian Congo, Benin, Greece

A flower, one of my favourite birds and a philanthropist feature on my stamps this week.

Belgian Congo - 1952

This is 'Protea lemaire'.

My next stamp is from Benin - the bird has the Latin name 'Pyrrhula pyrrhula' but I'm sure that you will recognise it. A pair visit our garden every year in May when the apple blossom appears.

Benin - 30 July1977

I had problems with reading Greek characters in the name of this man, but tracked him down eventually.

Greece - 5 November 1975

Georgios Rizaris founded a religious organisation in the newly formed Greek state that would educate priests. Today it stands in the Calandri suburb of Athens.

For other 'P' related stamps just cross over to Sunday-stamps-p and follow the links.

Sunday Stamps O3 - Great Britain, Greece, Malawi, New Zealand

Back in 1675 Sir Christopher Wren chose a site at Greenwich to be where King Charles II commissioned 

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Great Britain - 23 April 1975

The prime meridian passes through it, thereby giving its name to Greenwich Mean Time. In 1998 it became part of the National Maritime Museum.

Maintaining an old theme I found these old toys in Greece.

Greece  - 22 December 2006
Old toys from the Benaki Museum in Athens

I've posted stamps from Malawi in previous weeks and perhaps should have shown one of my favourites under 'K'.

Klipspringer Antelope - 15 February 1971

However, its Latin name is Oreotragus oreotraus.

1948 saw the 100th anniversary of the settlement of the New Zealand Province of Otago.

New Zealand - 23 February 1948

Now I have to find out about the two ships shown on the stamp.

Sail across to Sunday-stamps-o. for more 'O' related stamps.

Sunday Stamps E3 - USA, Australia, Greece

The exploits of Norse explorer Leif Erikson are known through Icelandic sagas of the 13th century. USA - 9 October 1968 He's believed to have reached North America  c. !000AD and landed at Baffin Island. Labrador and Newfoundland. Earth Hour, when we are encouraged to switch of all lights for an hour from 8.30pm each year, was begun in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and has spread around the world. Australia - 11 March 2009 Earth Day is an event celebrated on 22 April with events held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It has been held since 1970. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Planet Earth to increase awareness of the importance of Earth sciences for the advancement of sustainable development. UNESCO was designated as the lead agency. The Year's activities spanned the three years 2006-2009. Greece - 20 June 2008 International Day of Planet Earth. I wonder how many of us recognise the events commemorated by these stamps. For other 'E' related stamps visit Sunday-stamps-e. at See it on a postcard.

Sunday Stamps II - A-Z: 'G' Greece, Hungary, Norway

Three gentlemen today whose names all begin with 'G'.

Mahatma Gandhi centenary - Greece: 7 October 1970

International Space Travel Conference - Juri Gagarin: Hungary 22 October 1962

And for the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mikhail S Gorbatsjov - Norway: 14 September 2001

To have a gander at other grand stamps just follow the links at Sunday-stamps-g.

Sunday Stamps II - A-Z (2) 'D' - Dancers, Douglas and Old Toys

I looked for a stamp for Mothers' Day but only had one from Dubai commemorating Arabs Mothers Day. That is on the 21 March this year so I went for Greek dancers instead.

Greece - 2 January 2002

Now I just have to find out what dances are depicted.

I have never been to the Isle of Man or walked down - 

Douglas Promenade - IOM - 5 July 1973

Hidden away amongst the toys from Sweden I found this - 

Old Doll - Sweden - 14 November 1978

We still have two of my daughter's old dolls but their home made clothes are not as elegant as this.

To see what other 'D' related stamps have been chosen this week check out what's on offer at Sunday-stamps-d.

Kings and Queens - Sunday Stamps II

I tried to get a link between the Kings and Queens I am showing. Let me know what you think.

Victor Emmanuel III - 21 April 1929

He was King of Italy from 28 July 1900 until he abdicated on 8 May 1946 in favour of his son Umberto II. Umberto was the last King of Italy but only from 9 May to 12 June 1946. Italy then became a republic.

Victor Emmanuel also claimed the thrones of Ethiopia and Albania as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936-1941) and King of Albania (1939-1943)

King Paul I of Greece

This stamp was issued on 6 May 1964 as a memorial to King Paul, King from 1 April 1947 to 6 March 1964. He was the last but one King of Greece before the country became a republic in 1973.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands 1954

Juliana was Queen from 1948 until she abdicated in 1980. Her daughter  Beatrix succeeded  her as Queen; she abdicated in 2013 to be followed by her son, King Willem - Alexander

For more Kings and Queens visit Sunday-Stamps-II 124.

Castles and Palaces - Sunday Stamps II

As my first stamp will show,I've learnt not to make assumptions this week.

Tunisia

I thought this was an impressive castle until I discovered it wasn't a castle at all.

The Skifa Kahla is the ancient gate to the coastal city of Mahdia, the old part of which corresponds to the Roman city of Aphrodisium.

My next stamp is of a place where international conferences are held.

France 1980

In 1999 the Chateau of Rambouillet hosted the NATO peace conference on Kosovo. The rejection of the proposal by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia lead to the war in Kosovo.

The Greek island of Rhodes is the site of the palace on my last stamp this week.

Greece 2006 - Medieval Castle

This castle also called Kastello was once the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.

The 7th century Byzantine citadel was converted by the Knights Hospitaller into their administrative centre and the palace of their Grand Master.

The Ottoman Empire used it as a command centre and fortress. Under Italian rule it became a holiday residence for the King of Italy and for Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator. Under the 1947 Peace Treaty with Italy, Rhodes and the Dodecanes islands were transferred to Greece.

Palace of the Grand Master sounds a more impressive title.

To see what other castles and palaces have been found on stamps please follow the links at Violet;s Sunday-Stamps-II-56.

Sea Creatures - Sunday Stamps

I had to search quite hard to find some sea creatures to show for this week's theme, but was surprised by what I found.

Canada - Bowhead Whale

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a baleen whale of the right whale family. It is an endangered species which can grow to 20m in length; the thick bodied species can weight 75 tonnes. It is also know as the Greenland right whale or Arctic whale. It also appears on a stamp from the Faröe  Islands.

Norway - Blekksprut

The Blekksprut (Sepiola atlantica) is a species of bobtail squid found in the North East Atlantic Ocean from Iceland, the Faröes  and western Norway to the Moroccan coast.

Greece - Dolphin Mosaic - 1970

This stamp is from the Greek Mosaics issue and shows a Dolphin Mosaic from Delos island, 110 BC. Now how do I find out who the rider is?

For more sea creatures take a ride across to Viridian's Sunday-stamps-128.

National Costumes - Sunday Stamps

Viridian set us a theme we've had before : the folkways of various cultures. folktales, food, costume, pottery, you name it. I've chosen national costumes but I'll admit I have some work to do. All my stamps are from Greece.

Greek National Costumes

I have worked out that the stamp on the right of the second row and the single stamp at the bottom show costumes from Macedonia. I'm still checking the rest.

All eight were issued between 1972 and 1974, the date is on each stamp.

To see what else has been posted this week don't forget to check out Sunday-stamps-92.

Music and Dance - Sunday Stamps

The theme this week for Sunday Stamps is art, music, or dance.

After a lot of searching to avoid showing repeats I've settled on three stamps this time.

The first I know nothing about although it seems to depict a dance and possible some form of instrument as well.

China

 Then I found a composer on a stamp.

Germany

A stamp which commemorates Carl Maria Von Weber and if I've got it right this stamp is postmarked 1976, the 150th anniversary of his death in 1826. Weber (1786-1826) was the founder of the Romantic School of German Opera and a pioneer in modern piano composition. In 1813 he served as a conductor at Prague and later reorganised the Royal Opera at Dresden. In 1824 he accepted an invitation from the Royal Opera, London to compose and produce the opera Oberon. In 1826 , already suffering from TB, he went to England where he finished the work and conducted its premiere on 12th April. He died in London in June 1826.

I'm sure that one of you will be able to tell me about the instrument in my third stamp.

Greece

Is it a mandolin?

For further music and dance skip over to Sunday-stamps-86