The Archaeological Museum of Samos: Home of the Giant Kouros

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The Archaeological Museum of Samos gathers the finest ancient finds of the island into two linked buildings in the capital, Vathy. Its collection comes above all from the Heraion, the great sanctuary of Hera on the south coast. Where archaeologists recovered marble statues, bronze figurines, carved ivories and imported treasures across seasons. One object rules … Read more

The History of Samos: Pythagoras, Polycrates and the Aegean

Samos Town Harbour. - panoramio (1)

Samos holds one of the richest histories in the Aegean, out of all proportion to its size. The green, mountainous island off the coast of Asia Minor was settled from prehistory and grew into a leading Ionian city-state. Under the tyrant Polycrates it reached a golden age. Its fleet ruled the eastern Aegean, and its … Read more

The Heraion of Samos: The Great Sanctuary of Hera

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The Heraion of Samos is the ancient sanctuary of the goddess Hera on the island’s south coast, near the modern village of Ireo. The site sits about 6 km west of Pythagorio, across a flat coastal plain watered by the Imvrasos stream. In antiquity the Heraion held one of the largest temples in the Greek … Read more