Cyclades
Islands
: Amorgos, Andros,
Folegandros, Ios,
Kea, Kythnos,
Milos, Mykonos,
Naxos, Paros
and Antiparos, Santorini,
Sifnos, Serifos,
Sikinos, Syros,
Tinos
Northern
Aegean Islands:
Chios, Ikaria,
Limnos, Lesvos,
Samos, Samothraki,
Thassos
Ionian
Islands:
Corfu (Kerkyra), Ithaki,
Kefalonia, Kythera,
Lefkada, Paxos,
Zakynthos
Saronic
Islands:
Aegina, Angistri,
Poros, Hydra,
Salamina, Spetsis
Sporades
Islands:
Alonissos, Skiathos,
Skopelos, Skyros
Dodecanese
Islands:
Astypalia, Halki,
Kalymnos, Karpathos,
Kassos, Kastellorizo,
Kos, Leros,
Nisyros, Patmos,
Rhodes, Symi,
Tilos
Other
Islands:
Crete, Evia,
Cyprus
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Northern Aegean Islands - Samos
Samos, in the Aegean Sea,
is the closest of the Greek
isles to the mainland of Asia Minor; it is separated
only by the narrow Samos Strait. It is quite close to
Ikaria and the Fournoi islands,
and with them forms the nomos of Samos. It has the rich
archaeological history that characterizes most of the
Greek isles, with Early Neolithic occupancy in the oldest
archaeological records, near Tigani. The Ionians were
present on the island in about the 11th century BC, and
by the 7th century the island was one of the leading commercial
centers of Greece. It quickly became a center of philosophy
and astronomy as well, and produced such great Greek philosophers
as Epicurus.
In 540 BC, Samos came under the rule of Polycrates, one
of the most famous of Greek tyrants, a patron and nemesis
of philosophy and the arts. He allied with Egypt against
Persia, holding Darius of Persia at bay until 522 BC.
Thereafter, Samos was ruled in turn by Persia, Athens,
and Sparta, then changed hands between the three in a
veritable blizzard of political activity until it fell
under the sway of Rome.
During the Greek years, philosophers like Aristarchus,
Epicurus, Conon, Pythagorus, and Melissus shaped much
of Greek thought from the island. These philosophers were
known for their brilliant mathematical and astronomical
deductions, and many of their discoveries hold true to
this day. It was also a center for sculpting, with the
seat of a famous school located in Tigani. Near Tigani,
a huge temple and sanctuary of Hera have been excavated
recently. Also in Samos, an ancient tunnel 2/3 of a mile
in length was cut through a mountain to allow water from
the springs on one side to flow through to the city on
the other. It was tunneled from both sides, and though
it did not quite meet in the middle, it came close, linked
by a sharp turn. You can still visit this wonder.
Later, Samos fell under Byzantine, Genoan, and Turkish
rule before rejoining Greece in the early 20th century.
The land is devoted to vineyards,
olive trees and fruit. It is famous for wine celebrated
by the poet Byron, which is exported throughout Europe.
Samos is most famous, though, for its great thinkers.
Aristarchus was the first philosopher to insist that the
earth rotated around the sun, and his work was heavily
borrowed from in later works by Archimedes and Plutarch.
Conon, a friend of Archimedes, was an astronomer who did
a great deal of work on conic sections, crucial to astronomy
and geometry. Melissus was the last significant member
of the Eleatics, and moonlighted as the commander of the
Samian fleet. Its most famous son, Epicurus, was the philosopher
who originated the idea of moderation in everything as
being the source of mental, physical, and spiritual health.
For those fascinated by the ancient Greek thinkers, or
for fans of excellent wines and good conversation, Samos
would be an ideal place to visit.
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