Samos

Samos is a verdant island with beautiful beaches, traditional villages, significant archaeological sites and famous wine. It has an area of 500km², a coastline of 105km and a population of 34,000.

Samos is also the homeland of many philosophers and mathematicians of antiquity such as Epicurus, Aristarchos and Pythagoras. The Phoenicians first gave the island its name, Samos, which in the Phoenician language meant ‘tall’. The Karians named it Nissi ton Makaron (Island of the Blessed), while other denominations include: Pathenia, Imvrassia, Anthemis, Droyousa, Doryssa and Fyllas. Later the Pelasgians brought the worship of Hera to the island. According to mythology, the Mother Goddess Hera was born on the banks of the Imvrassos River and was considered protector of Samos.

Around 1300 BC the Argonaut Agaios from Kefalonia brought a wooden statue of Hera, placed it in Heraion and taught the residents of Samos the cultivation of vines. The island reached its classical peak during the 7th and the 6th centuries BC. It was then conquered by the Persians, Romans, Venetians and Turks, and went into decline. It was deserted and then re-inhabited in the 16th century, and in 1832  the island was awarded a form of autonomy within the Ottoman empire. Under this regime, a Greek Christian ruler appointed by the Sultan governed the island. Samos was annexed to Greece in 1912.

Samos connects by boat to the port of Piraeus, and by air to Athens airport.

Source GNTO