Cyprus 2025

Cyprus

Date of Issue: 9th May 2025

two stamps se-tenant (2x 0.64 €)

both stamps are issued in a mini sheet of 8 stamps (4 of each)

both stamps are also issued in one booklet of 8 stamps (4 of each) - stamps from the booklet aren't perforated on one side

Mosaic Floor Depicting a Hippodrome Scene

The mosaic floor depicting a hippodrome scene was discovered during excavations conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus near the community of Akaki, Nicosia District. It is part of the floor decoration of a rural villa dating to the 4^th century AD, which was excavated between 2023 and 2024.

The mosaic floor, measuring twenty-six meters in length, illustrates a chariot race unfolding within a hippodrome, which is rendered with great detail. The euripus or spina is clearly depicted, featuring various shrines, columns, obelisks, and sculptures that were used for timekeeping and lap counting during the race.

Four tethrippon (four-horse chariots) participate in the race, shown in four different phases of the competition. Each chariot is accompanied by two names written in Greek: the name of the charioteer and the name of one of the horses, allowing to follow the progression of the race.

The newly discovered mosaic from Akaki is unique in Cyprus and stands out for its exceptional craftsmanship but also because it provides a rare iconographic representation of chariot race during the Roman period.

Malta 2025

Malta

Date of Issue: 9th May 2025

two stamps (1.91 & 2.- €)

 

both stamps are issued in mini-sheets of 11 stamps + 1 vignettes

the 1.91 € value stamp is also issued in a booklet of 5 stamps + 1 vignette

The MaltaPost issue consists of two new stamps showing artefacts found within Phoenician rock-cut tombs excavated at GKlieb and GQajjet in the outskirts of Rabat, in an area that served as a cemetery for the first Phoenicians who settled in Malta around 2,700 years ago. The Phoenicians were renowned seafarers from the Eastern Mediterranean, who set their sights on Malta's strategic location and established settlements to serve as crucial points along their expansive trade routes - these stretched from the Levant to the Western edges of the Mediterranean.

The three newly discovered Phoenician tombs each consist of a rectangular or oval shaped shaft cut into the rock, which leads to a rectangular or oval burial chamber, where human remains and objects were buried. These tombs shed light on the burial rituals of the earliest Phoenicians on the Islands. The 1.91 stamp shows pottery vessels used as drinking cups, jugs and storage jars. The majority of pottery items were clearly made in Malta as is evident from the distinct local style. The stamp, carrying a denomination of 2.00, portrays personal jewellery items including earrings, bangles, rings and beads found within large storage containers, together with cremated human remains. Such prized objects could have been heirlooms, passed on from one generation to the next. Both the pottery and jewellery items can be dated to the 7th century Before the Common Era (BCE).

the Netherlands 2025

the Netherlands

Date of Issue: 9th May 2025

one stamp (International 1 value = 1.90 €)

this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 6 stamps

One of the most famous archaeological finds in our country is the 8.5 cm fibula of Dorestad. The cloak pin was made around 800 AD. In 1969, the fibula was found in a well from the time of Dorestad, where Wijk bij Duurstede is now located. During the reign of Charlemagne of the Franks (768-814), Dorestad was the largest and richest trading city in the Netherlands. The golden fibula is inlaid with various colours of glass, gemstones of almandine, pearls, and enamel. Over time, some stones have disappeared, as has the pin on the back. Various shapes can be recognised in the inlay work, such as crosses, volutes, and a small tree with leaves and fruits. The crosses of the gemstones and pearls probably indicate that the brooch was worn as subtle propaganda for the increasingly popular Christianity in the Netherlands. Round fibulae were mainly worn by ladies, and especially high-ranking ladies promoted the new faith. The style of the fibula of Dorestad is that of ecclesiastical goldsmithing, made in Burgundian workshops from the time of Charlemagne. The fibula, one of the masterpieces of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, is included in the Canon of the Netherlands under the theme Charlemagne.

Armenia 2025

Armenia

Date of Issue: 29th April 2025

one stamp (400.- AMD)

this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamps

 

The postage stamp depicts a Libation vessel dated XIX-XVIII cc. B.C. and discovered during the excavations of Karashamb Necropolis, located in Kotayk Region of the Republic of Armenia. The vessel was used for pouring wine during ritual ceremonies.

Gibraltar 2025

Gibraltar

Date of Issue: 8th May 2025

two stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP)

those stamps are issued in mini-sheets of 6 stamps

 

NOTE - On the 4th of July 2025, Gibraltar issued a set of 6 post & go stamps depicting the 2nd Europa stamps design and bearing the Europa logo - price 7.95 GBP

The Gibraltar Neanderthal skulls are among the most significant fossil discoveries related to Neanderthals. The first skull, known as the Forbes’ Quarry Skull or Gibraltar 1, was discovered in 1848 at Forbes’ Quarry, on the northern face of the Rock of Gibraltar. This find predated the famous discovery of Neanderthals in Germany’s Neander Valley (1856), but its importance wasn’t fully recognised at the time. The skull is that of an adult female and exhibits classic Neanderthal features such as a large brow ridge, a long, low skull, and a robust build. It remains one of the best-preserved Neanderthal skulls ever found.

A second skull, Gibraltar 2, was found in 1926 close to Forbes’ Quarry, at Devil’s Tower Cave and belonged to a Neanderthal child. This discovery provided valuable insights into the growth and development of Neanderthals. Studies of the Gibraltar Neanderthals suggest they were among the last surviving populations of their species, with evidence indicating that Neanderthals lived in the region until around 32,000 years ago, long after they had disappeared from much of Europe.

Gibraltar’s caves, particularly Gorham’s Cave, on the Rock’s eastern side, have provided further evidence of Neanderthal life, including hearths, tools, and even possible engravings that suggest symbolic behavior. The region’s mild climate and rich marine resources may have contributed to the Neanderthals’ prolonged survival. Today, the Gibraltar skulls are housed in the Natural History Museum in London, and Gorham’s Cave is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its importance in understanding Neanderthal history.

Recent research on the Gibraltar Neanderthals has shed light on their diet, behavior, and cognitive abilities. Isotopic analysis of remains from Gorham’s Cave suggests that these Neanderthals had a diverse diet, including marine resources such as shellfish, fish, and seals, challenging earlier notions that Neanderthals were primarily big-game hunters. Additionally, discoveries of charred plant remains indicate they also consumed roasted vegetables. Perhaps most intriguingly, an engraving found in Gorham’s Cave, a cross-hatched pattern etched into the rock, has been interpreted as possible evidence of symbolic or artistic behavior, suggesting that Neanderthals were capable of abstract thought. These findings contribute to the growing understanding that Neanderthals were not the brutish, primitive beings they were once thought to be, but rather intelligent and adaptable hominins capable of complex survival strategies.

Slovenia 2025

Slovenia

Date of Issue: 9th May 2025

two stamps (1.79 & 2.06 €)

both stamps are issued in mini-sheets of 8 stamps + 1 vignette​

Bronze Apollo statuette  

This 11.5 cm high statuette was found in the river Ljubljanica near the village of Blatna Brezovica. It depicts a naked male figure with a hairstyle typical of Classical/Hellenistic depictions of the Greek and Roman god Apollo. The collar, however, does not match traditional depictions of Apollo and is a distinctly Celtic element. The pose of the body and the position of the arms are reminiscent of Italo-Etruscan statuettes. This statuette is assumed to have been made in north-eastern Italy or its eastern hinterland, including the wider surrounding area of the site where it was found. It was probably made during the period of the Romanisation of the Vrhnika and Ljubljana areas in the middle or second half of the first century BC. It represents a non-Roman deity who, under the influence of Roman culture, was identified with Apollo. This deity could be the god Belenus, whose cult extended across north-eastern Italy and the region known as Noricum (mainly in present-day Austria), and who was of pre-Roman origin. There are no known depictions of Belenus – with the possible exception of this statuette from the Ljubljanica – but he is known of from Roman-era inscriptions, in which he is referred to as Apollon Belenus.  The statuette is thought to have been thrown into the river as a votive offering.

Centaur archer

Round brooches made of plated bronze over an iron core are relatively common finds in Slav cemeteries from the eighth and ninth centuries in Slovenia's Gorenjska region. Notable among them, for the quality of workmanship and, above all, for the depiction of a centaur archer, is this brooch from the Brda cemetery near Bled.

In stylistic terms it belongs to Carolingian art, which drew on illuminated manuscripts. Most comparable artefacts are from sites in the Upper Danube basin and the Rhineland. The figure of the centaur archer developed in Babylonian art before 1000 BC as a symbol of the zodiac sign Sagittarius. It entered Roman and medieval astrological depictions of Sagittarius via Egypt and was later adopted in Christianity.

We will probably never know exactly how this brooch ended up in a Slav grave in the Brda cemetery near Bled. It may have been made by a Christian who based the design on an illustration from an illuminated manuscript. On the other hand, the Slavs, who were pagans when they settled this area in the sixth century and whose Christianisation under the Carolingians had only just begun in the eighth century, probably did not see this design as a Christian symbol but as a pagan one. The centaur archer may have reminded them of Perun the Thunderer, the supreme god of the Slavs, who could also be depicted as a horseman with a thunderbolt or bow in his hand.

Lithuania 2025

Lithuania

Date of Issue: 25th April 2025

two stamps (2x 2.10 €)

this stamp is issued a mini-sheet of 10 stamps

The study and research of mounds in Lithuania has been going on since the second half of the 19th century, during which time a great deal of diverse material has been collected about them. Recently, the most important data have been obtained from the study of the most beautiful castle mounds in western Lithuania, which were previously known only for their expressive forms in the landscape and legends. The Medvegalis mound complex and the Bilioniai mound in Šilalė district are the pearls of the Samogitian land, whose cultural layers conceal marketplaces dating back to the times of the Roman Empire, the traces of battles with the Crusaders, the hitherto unknown custom of burying people in mounds, and many other mysteries of the knowledge of our ancient and distinctive culture," says archaeologist Assoc. Prof. Dr Gintautas Zabiela.