Object ID
1996.98.2
Object Name
Medal, Commemorative
Object Collection
Date Created
1940, 1916 – 1940
Material
Metal
Object Entities
Zannis, Anthony and Maria (owned by)
Zannis, Anthony (is related to)
Zannis, Maria (is related to)
Object Description
Golden-yellow ribbon with two narrow navy stripes running vertically; one on the left, the other on the right. There is a thin bronze metal strip running horizontally on the bottom half of the ribbon that says "1940".  The medallion hanging beneath the ribbon is bronze with an embossed cross.  Behind the cross, two swords are crossed creating a combined eight points.   A wreath of olive leaves create a circle connecting the points of the cross.  Superimposed on the center of the cross, is an eagle with its wings spread. On each leg of the cross it has a Greek writing saying "in Defense of the Homeland." On the back of the medallion, stamped in Greek, it says "Hellas" (Greece) with the years "1916-1917" stamped underneath.
Origin
Donated by Dr's. Anthony and Maria Zannis.

The medal is a Greek Miltary medal of Merit for World War I.The medal was the creation in 1916 of the Revolutionary Committee based in Salonika and was known as the ‘Military Medal’. It was instituted formally by Royal Decree on 30 June 1917 and the name changed to the ‘Medal of Military Merit’. The medal continued to be issued in World War II, renamed the ‘Distinguished Conduct Medal’ but with the addition of a bar with the date ‘1940’.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Medal, Commemorative, 1940, 1916 – 1940, Dr. Anthony and Maria Zannis Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/6666. Accessed 03/18/24.