The design shows the ruins of Basilica B with two inscriptions to the left ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF PHILIPPI and HELLENIC REPUBLIC 2017. To the right is a palmette (the mint mark of the Greek Mint).

Basilica B is a three-aisled basilica dated to ca. 550 A.D. It has a narthex and annexes to the north and south (phiale, vestry). The almost square in plan, central aisle was covered with a vault supported by large pillars. A second vault roofed the Holy Bema. Its sculptural decoration is under the influence of Constantinople.

Engraver: Georgios Stamatopoulos

A geographical map of Western Europe spans the outer ring and inner core on the right side of the coin. The inscription 2 EURO is superimposed over the map of Europe, with the numeral “2” located in an open field representing the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

12 stars are located on the right side of the outer ring, with six stars atop the map of Europe and six stars below it; six vertical stripes cut across the inner core of the coin, visually connecting the upper and lower star segments.

Luc Luycx, a designer at the Royal Belgian Mint, designed the Euro’s common reverse; his initials, LL, are seen on the right side of the design, just under the “O” in “EURO.”

HELLENIC REPUBLIC in Greek.