The ancient Greek goddess Europa is to appear on new five-euro notes, which will be issued by the European Central Bank on May 2.

The new banknote was unveiled on January 10, by ECB President Mario Draghi, at the Archaeological Museum in Frankfurt-am-Main.

The € 5 banknote is the first one in the "Europa" series to be introduced; the remaining ones are to be introduced gradually over several years, in ascending order. This is the second series of euro banknotes issued since the single currency’s launch in January 1999.The notes will have new holograms and watermarks, but will retain the currently featured arches, bridges and map.


In Greek mythology, Europa was a noble Phoenician woman, whose beauty inspired Zeus to seduce her. He appeared to her as a bull and brought her to Crete, where she later bore Zeus three sons, one of whom, Minos, became ruler of Crete. The image used on the five-euro note comes from a 2,000 year- old vase found in southern Italy, which is now exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris.