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
|
Northern Aegean Islands - Samothraki (Samothrace)
Samothraki, or Samothrace, is a Greek island in the
northern Aegean off the Thracian coast. Its geology
is complex compared to much of Greece, consisting of ancient
granite, clay deposits, and the volcanic rock that makes
up much of Greece. There are active hot springs on the
island near the north coast. Its most outstanding geological
feature is Fenari Peak, the highest mountain in the Aegean,
which tops a mile in height. Due to its relatively infertile
ground and mountainous lands, it was not politically important
in the ancient world. However, it was the seat of
the cult of the Cabeiri, which is associated with an excavation
on the island.
The Cult of the Cabeiri were a non-Hellenic mystery religion
centered around the pantheon of the Sanctuary of the Gods.
The Cabeiri, or Cabiri, were promoters of fertility and
protectors of seafarers, and consisted of Axiocersus and
his son Cadmilus, and the female deities Axierus and Axiocersa.
According to Herodotus, the cult rose from the Pelasgians,
who may have been the same people as the Minoans. Their
religion and cult were quite different from the rest of
Greece. Both the Cabeiri and Nike, the goddess of victory
and good fortune also worshipped on Samothraki, were associated
with the avoidance of misfortune. In 1856, the Sanctuary
of the Gods was excavated, and can be visited on the island.
Later, Samothraki joined the Delian League, and then
fell under Macedonian control. Ruins from the ancient
period of Samothraki date back mostly to the fourth or
second century BC; you can find the ruins of the ancient
city of Palaepolis near the north coast. The famous statue
known as the “Nike of Samothrace,” now in
the Louvre Museum, was found there in 1863. It was held
successively in Roman, Frankish, Genoese, and Turkish
hands before finally joining Greece in the early 20th
century.
Hot springs on Samothrace spring from volcanic origins;
if you visit them, be aware that hot springs can be dangerous,
even deadly, and exercise precautions – do not treat
them as a natural hot tub! Samothrace is more difficult
to visit than many of the Greek
isles, as it does not have a natural harbor; you will
have to visit either on a small boat or via air. Fenari
Peak can be climbed by visitors; it should not be difficult
to find a good local guide, as goats are commonly herded
on the mountainside.
|
