The official public contest for the design of the Cypriot euro coins, which ended on 14 October 2005, defined what the required motifs of the respective coins should encompass: • 1 cent, 2 cent and 5 cent: The
mouflon, the most characteristic species of
fauna in Cyprus, representing the island's nature and
wildlife. • 10 cent, 20 cent and 50 cent: The ancient Greek
Kyrenia ship of 4th Century B.C., representing Cyprus's history and its character as an island as well as its importance in trade. • €1 and €2: The
Idol of Pomos, a cross-shaped idol dating back to the Cypriot chalcolithic period (3000 B.C.), found in Pomos, a village in the district of
Paphos. It is a characteristic example of
prehistoric art in Cyprus, representing the island's antiquity, culture and civilization. American artist Erik Maell and Greek artist Tatiana Soteropoulos were chosen by the Central Bank of Cyprus to create and illustrate the designs to be used for the final coins. The artists were instructed to include the name of Cyprus in
Greek and
Turkish, that is,
ΚΥΠΡΟΣ (Kypros) and
KIBRIS in the design for the coins. == Circulating mintage quantities ==