"Tall Ships" and Christopher Pissarides "The Cypriot Nobel Prize Winner" - 2 new stamp issues were released on 8th June 2011.
Tall ships have a particular place in the history of shipbuilding, that is vessels with sails that hang from the mast or from the spars of the mast and which capture the force of the wind so that these vessels move along.
The ancient Egyptians were the first to build sailing vessels. The first sails manufactured were from animal hides or reeds and woven linen sails were manufactured subsequently. Sails come in various shapes and have different names (for example topsail, topgallant, etc). The Arabs were the first to introduce triangular sails, known as "latini" which were suitably adjusted on the masts and gave the vessel the ability to "cruise" even against the direction of the wind.
By the 16th century when shipbuilding developed, a second deck was added to sailing vessels and the variety of sail formations and naval architecture created countless varieties of vessels (caravels, frigates, brigs, brigantines, barques, galleys, etc).
The invention of the steam engine at the end of the 18th century and its introduction into shipbuilding at the beginning of the 19th century led to an abandonment of sail and the domination of steam engines on the seas.
Today, tall ships are powered by sails and engines and sailboats are used for pleasure purposes or to take part in sailing competitions.
Text: Paschalis Eliopoulos, Nicosia
Source: Stamps and Philatelic Services, Cyprus Post
The 2011 issue comprises of 3 indivdual stamps (Galleon €0,22, Caravel €0,43 and Brig €0,85). Also available on first day cover and as full sheets.
Cyprus Stamps SG 2011 Cypriot Nobel Prize Winner
Christopher Pissarides, the Cypriot economist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics, jointly with Dale Mortensen and Peter A. Diamond, in 2010, for their contribution to the theory of search frictions and macroeconomics.
Christopher Pissarides, whose origins are from Agros, a village in the mountains, and who was born in Nicosia in 1948, is the first Cypriot to have been awarded a Nobel Prize. He attended the Eleneio Elementary School and the Pancyprian Gymnasium. he studied at the University of Essex and subsequentlly received his PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE).
He is currently a Professor of Economics at the LSE, the Director of the Economics Department and of the Research Programme on Macroeconomics at the Centre for Economic Performance, both at the LSE. He is an expert on the labour market and in research into economic policy. His book, "Equilibrium Unemployment Theory" is considered standard reference book on unemployment. It has contributed to the better understanding of this phenomenon and constitutes a vital tool in labour market analysis.
Text: Paschalis Eliopoulos, Nicosia
Source: Stamps and Philatelic Services, Cyprus Post
This 2011 issue comprises of a single stamp with the value of €1,71
To view more stamps, first day covers and full sheets from these issues please visit Cyprus Stamps website.
