BANKNOTE FRANCE 10 FRANCS 1963 VOLTAIRE ~ HISTORIAN,WRITER,PHILOSOPHER

Born in 1694, in Paris, France, Voltaire established himself as one of the leading writers of the Enlightenment. His famed works include the tragic play Zaïre, the historical study The Age of Louis XIV and the satirical novella Candide. Often at odds with French authorities over his politically charged works, he was twice imprisoned and spent many years in exile. He died shortly after returning to Paris in 1778.

Widely considered one of France's greatest Enlightenment writers, Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet to a prosperous family on November 21, 1694, in Paris, France. He was the youngest of five children born to François Arouet and Marie Marguerite d'Aumart. When Voltaire was just 7 years old, his mother passed away. Following her death, he grew closer to his free-thinking godfather.

In 1704, Voltaire was enrolled at the Collége Louis-le-Grand, a Jesuit secondary school in Paris, where he received a classical education and began showing promise as a writer.

Voltaire wrote poetry and plays, as well as historical and philosophical works. His most well-known poetry includes The Henriade (1723) and The Maid of Orleans, which he started writing in 1730 but never fully completed.
More https://www.biography.com/people/voltaire-9520178

50 DRACHMAI 1939+1941 HESIOD ~ GREECE

 A poet and rhapsode, Hesiod lived around 700 B.C. Hesiod is always compared to Homer and is one those rare poets whose compositions survive to this day. No one knows who was born first Homer or Hesiod, but some assume they lived around the same time.
Some ancient Greek scholars like Aristarchus argued that Homer was the earlier and many accepted this later. But this claim is doubtful because both these poets existed when no records of history were compiled. So whoever was born first may never be known.
Hesiod claimed himself to be a farmer in Boeotia, an area in Central Greece. His father belonged to Kyme in Aeolis but travelled to Ascra and settled there (described as cursed in his poems). Hesiod's father owned a small piece of land and practised law along with his brother Perses. These details are derived from his works 'Works and Days' and the 'Theogony' but other than this, little of him is known.
Only these famous works 'Works and Days' and the 'Theogony' exist today and some lines of his composition 'Shield of Heracles'.

Works and Composition:
Only three of the many works of Hesiod are in a good state today. Other remains are fragmented and therefore incomplete. The first edition of 'Works and Days' came out in 1493 compiled by Demetrius Chalcondyles. Along with this composition other works were compiled and published in Venice by Aldus Manutius in 1495.
Hesiod's and Homer's poems main difference is that while Homer described the rich and kingly people in his works, Hesiod is known for describing the common man's life. In fact, some details of his own life are known to exist in 'Works and Days'.

Work and Days
This work, containing about 800 verses, makes the base for two facts in the Universe: Labour is the universal lot of Man, but he who is willing to work will get by. The background of this work can be dated to the agricultural land crisis in Greece which led to colonies in search of new land.
The works describes the five ages of man; mainly the Golden age, ruled by Cronos. In this era, people had extremely long lives and there was no sadness. Also mentioned are The Silver Age, which was ruled by Zeus, the Bronze age period of wars and the Heroic Age, the time of the Trojan war and the Iron age, the present corrupt era.
'Works and Days' also describes ethical values, hard work and unlucky and lucky days for specific occasions.

Theogony
Theogony is one of the main documents of Greek mythology. The same style of writing seen in 'Works and Days' is used in Theogony. Most scholars agree upon the author of the composition as Hesiod.
Theogony revolves around the concepts of cosmogony i.e origins of world and theogony i.e of Gods. The composition of Theogony begins with fictional characters such as Gaia, Nyx and Eros and the genealogy of Gods to humans. It is believed through his composition that all the Gods and humans descended from the godesseses Chaos and Earth. It clarifies the positions of all the Gods, Godesseses, demi-gods, demons, humans and heroes in Greek mythology, along with fictional fairy tales and myths.

Other Works
A short poem called the 'Shield of Heracles' is also credited to Hesiod. Other works of Hesiod, even if available, are in damaged (quotations or papyri) condition.
Another famous work of Hesiod is 'Catalogue of Women' or 'Eoiae' which describes mortal women who mated with Gods and their descendants.
http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Hesiod/

1000 Drachmai 1956 Greece ~ Alexander the Great in Battle of Issos

The Battle of Issus (5th November, 333 BCE) was Alexander the Great's second battle against the Persian army and the first direct engagement with King Darius III, near the village of Issus in southern modern-day Turkey. It was a major victory for Alexander, defeating the Persian army and causing Darius III to flee the battlefield.

After the death of his father and his ascension to the Macedonian throne, Alexander’s first order of business was to pursue his father’s dream -- the conquest of the Persian Empire. Using the excuse that he was seeking revenge for the invasion of Greece by Darius I and Xerxes, Alexander crossed the Hellespont into Asia Minor. As he moved southward he defeated the Persian forces at Granicus and Halicarnassus. His next major confrontation would be at Issus in November 333 BCE. This battle would be the first of two meetings between Alexander the Great and King Darius of Persia -- both would end in a defeat of the Persian forces.

When Alexander learned of Darius’s presence in the agricultural-rich land surrounding Issus, he quickly moved southward from Gordium through the Cilician Gates to the port town of Issus. Although the battle itself would be further south on a narrow plain between the Mediterranean Sea and the Amanus Mountains, the port served as a base camp for Alexander’s forces. It was there that he left a number of wounded and sick to recover. Later, as Darius marched his troops to meet Alexander at the River Penarus, the Persian king stopped at the Greek base camp where he tortured and executed the recuperating Macedonian soldiers, cutting off the right hand of those who were allowed to live. This act would serve as a further incentive to Alexander’s army to defeat the Persians.
More https://www.ancient.eu/Battle_of_Issus/