Olympic Philately: Reading the 1896 Athens Olympics from Postage Stamps

Abstract

A postage stamp is principally used to demonstrate that postage has been paid. However, governments also use postage stamps to convey various messages to the world, and the message the stamp contains reaches many people. Therefore, postage stamps are frequently used to embrace and disseminate an idea or belief, to convey information to a target audience, or to announce or promote an event. Additionally, philately (or stamp collecting) remains a popular hobby. Stamp collectors, who consider stamps as works of art, meticulously collect, classify, and scrutinize the details linked to stamps. Philately also has deep ties to the Olympic games. Olympic postage stamps, which were first introduced to offer financial assistance in organizing the 1896 Athens Olympics, have also served the purpose of promoting the Olympics at the international level. Furthermore, the works of ancient Greek culture and art were admirably depicted on the first Olympic postage stamps. These stamps, which also contribute to the revival of the Olympics, have rich symbolic meanings behind their visuals.