Why is the head of Pallas Athene used as an optional pictorial mark?
The industry requested an optional pictorial mark for palladium and has chosen the head of Pallas Athene , the Greek Goddess of War, Wisdom and Crafts, after whom palladium was named. Note 1: The spelling ‘Pallas Athena’ sometimes seen but it is not the correct way to describe her; ‘Pallas’ is Greek but ‘Athena’ is the Latin version of the Greek ‘Athene’. Note 2: Palladium was discovered in 1803 shortly after the asteroid Pallas, which was named after the goddess. It is a moot point whether the metal was named after the asteroid or the goddess, sources differ.
