Editing Greeks (section)

===Symbols===
{{See also|Flag of Greece}}
[[File:Flag of Greece.svg|thumb|upright|The national flag of Greece is commonly used as a symbol for Greeks worldwide.]]
[[File:Flag of the Greek Orthodox Church.svg|thumb|upright|The flag of the [[Greek Orthodox Church]] is based on the coat of arms of the [[Palaiologoi]], the last dynasty of the [[Byzantine Empire]].]]

The most widely used symbol is the [[flag of Greece]], which features nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white representing the nine syllables of the Greek national motto ''[[Eleftheria i Thanatos]]'' (Freedom or Death), which was the motto of the [[Greek War of Independence]].<ref>{{harvnb|Papadakis|1995|p=55}}.</ref> The blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bears a white cross, which represents [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodoxy]]. The Greek flag is widely used by the [[Greek Cypriots]], although [[Cyprus]] has officially adopted a neutral flag to ease ethnic tensions with the [[Turkish Cypriots|Turkish Cypriot]] minority (see [[flag of Cyprus]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.gr/en/shmaia.htm |title=The Flag |access-date=19 December 2008 |work=Law 851, Gov. Gazette 233, issue A, dated 21/22.12.1978 |publisher=Presidency of the Hellenic Republic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015001727/http://www.presidency.gr/en/shmaia.htm |archive-date=15 October 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The pre-1978 (and first) flag of Greece, which features a [[Cross|Greek cross]] (''crux immissa quadrata'') on a blue background, is widely used as an alternative to the official flag, and they are often flown together. The [[national emblem of Greece]] features a blue [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] with a white cross surrounded by two laurel branches. A common design involves the current flag of Greece and the pre-1978 flag of Greece with crossed flagpoles and the national emblem placed in front.<ref>{{cite web|title=Older Flags: 19 December 2008|work=Flags of the Greeks|publisher=Skafidas Zacharias|url=http://users.att.sch.gr/zskafid/simea5a.htm|access-date=23 December 2008|archive-date=14 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100514124602/http://users.att.sch.gr/zskafid/simea5a.htm|url-status=live}} [Note: Website contains image of the 1665 original for the current Greek flag.]</ref>

Another highly recognizable and popular Greek symbol is the [[Flag of Greece#Double-headed eagle|double-headed eagle]], the imperial emblem of the last dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire and a common symbol in [[Asia Minor]] and, later, [[Eastern Europe]].<ref>{{harvnb|Grierson|Bellinger|1999|loc="Eagles", pp. 85–86}}</ref> It is not part of the modern Greek flag or coat-of-arms, although it is officially the insignia of the [[Greek Army]] and the flag of the [[Church of Greece]]. It had been incorporated in the Greek coat of arms between 1925 and 1926.<ref>{{cite web|title=Byzantine Flags|work=Byzantine Heraldry|publisher=François Velde|year=1997|access-date=13 May 2016|url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/byzantin.htm|archive-date=6 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106100602/http://www.heraldica.org/topics/national/byzantin.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>