Listed 33 sub titles with search on: History for destination: "KARLOVASSI Small town SAMOS".
SAMOS (Island) NORTH AEGEAN
After Spartian power in the Aegean was destroyed by Conon in 394 B.C., Iasos was rebuilt, possibly with the aid of Knidos, and it joined a league of Aegean states that included Ephesos, Rhodes, Samos, and Byzantium.
He resettled the inhabitants of the island, who were exiled by Timotheus of Athens in 365 B.C.
The Ephesians under Androclus made war on Leogorus, the son of Procles, who reigned in Samos after his father, and after conquering them in a battle drove the Samians out of their island, accusing them of conspiring with the Carians against the Ionians. The Samians fled and some of them made their home in an island near Thrace, and as a result of their settling there the name of the island was changed from Dardania to Samothrace. Others with Leogorus threw a wall round Anaea on the mainland opposite Samos, and ten years after crossed over, expelled the Ephesians and reoccupied the island.(Paus. 7.4.2)
Both Cephallenia and Samothrace were called Samos at the time of the Trojan War (for otherwise Hecabe would not be introduced as saying that he (Achilles) was for selling her children whom he might take captive "unto Samos and unto Imbros", Il 13.13), and since the Ionian Samos had not yet been colonized, it plainly got its name from one of the islands which earlier bore the same name. Whence that other fact is also clear, that those writers contradict ancient history who say that colonists came from Samos after the Ionian migration and the arrival of Tembrion and named Samothrace Samos, since this story was fabricated by the Samians to enhance the glory of their island.(Strabo 10.2.17)
The men of property among the Samians were displeased by the dealings of their generals with the Medes, so after the sea-fight they took counsel immediately and resolved that before Aeaces the tyrant came to their country they would sail to a colony, rather than remain and be slaves of the Medes and Aeaces. The people of Zancle in Sicily about this time sent messengers to Ionia inviting the Ionians to the Fair Coast, desiring there to found an Ionian city. This Fair Coast, as it is called, is in Sicily, in that part which looks towards Tyrrhenia. At this invitation, the Samians alone of the Ionians, with those Milesians who had escaped, set forth.(Herodt. 6.22)
MARATHOKAMBOS (Small town) SAMOS
The residential kernel of Marathokampos started in ancient Samos,
as it is indicated by the local traditions and toponyms. Due to the neighboring
with the Ionian Coast, the Samian Civilization flourished mostly on the Eastern
part of the Island, around the Temple
of Hera, while not many things are known for the Central and Western part
of the island.
What we do know is that there was an intense development on the South
West part of Samos, during the Byzantine and Post Byzantine years. This is confirmed
by the written elements and the ruins of big settlements with walls and Temples,
which have been found in the area.
Through the natural harbors of our Municipality, all trade dealings
were made, with the Western Islands of the Aegean Sea and the rest of Greece,
while the Byzantine fleet harbored in these natural harbors in order to control
the Central Aegean Sea.
The development of our Municipality appears to be significant during
the Post Byzantine years, when the Eastern part of Samos was depopulated by the
fear of the Turks and pirates who foraged the area. The morphology of the area,
the mentality of the people of Marathokampos, and the marine activity, interpret
the maintenance of the healthy social and economical life of the area, during
the years that are referred by the historians as the time of depopulation. At
the harbor of Ormos -
Spilia as it was called back then - the solid wood that came from Mount
Kerkis made strong ships. The trade ships of Marathokampos traveled through
the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, victoriously facing the pirates and the Turks.
These trade ships where the bridge between West Samos, Ionian Coast and Central
Greece. Brave hearted sailors from Marathokampos and their ships took part at
the campaign of Napoleon the Great in Egypt and many of them died at the battle
of the Pyramids.
Marathokampos is the home land of Kapetan Stamatis Georgiadis, Napoleon's
great fighter, member of the Karmanioli movement, and a hero of the Samian renaissance,
whose presence at the Kavo's Fonia battle gave the victory to the Samian Arms
in 1924. His family, his brothers, his sisters, his brothers in law gave everything
to the strangle and died in exile in Evia
when Samos turned to a hegemony. His house can be found in the village of Marathokampos
where many of his personal belongings are saved there.
In the church of St. Antonius, which was founded in 1904, one can
see the bell that sounded the Revelation on the 17th of April 1821, calling all
rebels to join against the tyranny of the Turks. In this church one can also find
the icon that was ordered by the captains that followed Kapetan Stamatis at the
beginning of the Revelation. During the years of the hegemony and between 1920-1940
Marathokampos town was a Municipality with Court of first instance, Country Court,
Town School and Girl's School. In these schools teachers were bright people who
had studied in Ionia and Europe. Among them were the fellow citizens Karatzas,
Sfinis and Konstas. The citizens of Marathokampos were active during the Liberation
fights in 1912-1913, the movement of Th. Sofoulis and the Near East campaign.
Right after the union of Samos with Greece, four brothers, the famous Giagiades,
feeling jostled, became outlaws. Finding refuge on the Mounts and being supported
by others of the same ideology, their mutiny lasted for many years. And this is
why the Giagiades mutiny has a big part of the Marathokampos History. Citizens
of Marathokampos also fought fiercely in Albania and Middle East.
The habitants of Marathokampos took great action during the years
of the Italian - German occupation, working hard for the resistance. They acted
on the mountains against the conquerors. Among the dead of Kastania, who were
brutally murdered by the Italians, were many citizens of Marathokampos.
Marathokampos is also the birthplace of the Patriarch of Jerusalem,
Damianos and the Metropolite Aleksandros Dilanas. One of the most important Greek
Archaeologists Manolis Andronikos spent his younger years in Marathokampos, while
from Marathokampos Gymnasium graduated the litterateur Giannis Chatzinis and the
historian Alexis Sevastakis.
This text is cited April 2005 from the Municipality of Marathokambos URL below, which contains images.
SAMOS (Island) NORTH AEGEAN
According to the Greek Mythology of the shores of the river Imvrassos
the goddess Hera was born and the goddess was bathing in the river's waters, that's
why the river was also called Parthenios. It was also in this place where Hera
fist made love with Zeus. The first settlers of Samos were Hisieis from the promontory
Hision of Asia Minor and Astipalaians. Kares, Leleges as well as Pelasgoi were
the first inhabitants of Samos as in most of the island of the Aegean
Sea. The Argonaut Agaios is considered to be the founder of the town of Samos
and the one who introduced the cult of Hera and the cultivation of the vine. According
to Apollonios of Rhodes, Agaios was not a settler but a Samian and son of the
god Poseidon.
The myth of Agaios
According to the myth, one of the many slaves working the vines, because
of the harsh conditions of working the land, cursed the Argonaut hero, ruler of
Samos, to not be able to drink that year's wine. When the wine was ready, Agaios
summoned the slave and showed him the glass from where he was ready to drink that
year's wine. Many things can happen until the glass reaches the lips? said the
slave and indeed he was right.
The sons of Agaios were Agapinor, who became king of the Arcadians
and fought on the Trojan War and Samos who ruler in Samos.
With the end of the Trojan War Ionians under the leadership of Proklis
and Temvrionas colonized Samos. Paphsanias makes references to another wave of
settlers coming from Phliouda
of Peloponnisos under the leadership of Ippasos, the mythical ancestor of the
Samian philosopher Pythagoras.
From scientific research and the excavations on the hill of Kastro
in Pythagorio, it is safe to say that Samos was inhabited as early as the Neolithic
era.
In the area of Iraion a settlement of the Procycladitic period was
discovered. This settlement was the prime town of the island during the early
Age of Bronze 3rd millennium BC.
The oldest trace of the cult of Hera belong to the 2nd half of the
2nd millennium BC And this is the reason why Samos was also called Partheneia
and Imvrassia in the honor of the river where the goddess was born. Thanks to
its rich vegetation the island was also called Anthemis, Fillas, Kiparissia, Melamphilos,
Drioussa, Dorissa, Stephani and Parthenoaroussa. The name Samos was given to the
island due to its mountainous terrain and it originates from a prehellenic or
Phoenician word that means high ground.
The city of Samos, today's Pythagorio becomes one of the most important
cities of Ionia along with Militos
and Ephessos.
Around 600 BC the Samian colonized Amorgos, Thrace, Cilicia and they had developed
important trade relation with Egypt. In the city of Naphkratin on the Nile's delta
the Samian had a whole quarter of the city. Before the end of the 7th century
BC Samian had reached the mythical Tartisso, beyond the Heraklian Columns, today's
Gibraltar. The 525 BC Samian mercenaries settle the oasis Baharigia between Egypt
and Libya
and the 531 BC Samians found Dikaiarhia,
today's Poutzoli on the gulf of Naples.
During the rule of Polikratis (538 or 532 - 522 BC) the development
of commerce and artisan trades along with the built of a war fleet rendered Samos
a sea power "first of all Greek and Barbarian cities" according to Herodotus.
Typical was the new type of ship Samaina, which combined the requirement for storage
space with revolutionary elements of a fast sea vessel.
Herodotus wrote that he admired Samos for three amazing construction
feats - marvels - that he visited during his visit to the island. These were:
Ephpalinos Tunnel a water reservoir with an underground tunnel of 1036 meters
in length. It was part of an extensive water distribution system for the ancient
city of Samos, which had a population of 150000 people and according to other
historical sources 300000 inhabitants. The "land within the sea", the ancient
port of Pythagorio,
which is considered the oldest manmade port in the world. Heraion, the temple
of Hera, "the richest and biggest temple of all Greek temples". From
the preclassical era we can also study and admire, finds from the palace of Polyctates
and the ancient city of Samos, the ancient walls etc. (...)
1st Persian War
In 479 BC in the straits of Mikali the Samian, Athenian and Spartan
fleet gave the final blow to the Persian fleet and crushed the Persian army in
land the 18th of September 479 BC.
The great influence and power of Samos was deem as dangerous to the
Athenian hegemony and using the conflict between Samos and Militos the Athenians
placed Samos under siege for nine months 440-439 BC. Amongst the Athenian general
who took part in the siege were Perikles, Sophokles and Thoukididis. The surrender
of Samos brought the demolition of its walls, the surrender of the fleet and huge
war compensations. Samos never really recovered after that.
The Peloponnesian Wars
During the Peloponnesian wars Samos allied with the Athenians, but
in 402 BC, the Spartans under the leadership of Lissandros conquered the island.
After the Adaklidia peace of 387 BC the Persians conquered the island. Samos was
assigned to the Satrap of Minor Asia and had to pay a yearly contribution of 400
talents.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
During the Asian Campaign of Alexander the Great, Samos was an important army and naval base. After the death of Alexander his successors, realizing Samos's key geographical position for the control of the west and southwest coasts of Asia Minor, fought for the islands domination. With the victory of the Romans against the Macedonians in Kinos Kefalais, in 197 BC, Samos was declared independent as every other Greek city. In 131 BC Samos was assigned along with the other Ionian cities to the Roman province of Asia.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
The roman occupation, although it was not strict during the first
years of the Pax Romana, it was always disliked by the Greeks. Samos had a leading
role in the revolution against the Romans, which was subsequently crushed the
88 BC. And Samos went through a period of suppression and pillage. In 82 BC Gaios
Lucilus Verris stole from Iraion and sent to Rome so many works of art that he
provoked the outrage of many important Romans. The case for Samos was presented
in the Roman Senate Cicerone and the Samians built in Iraion the altar of Cicerone.
In the 40 / 39 BC Samos was visited by Antony and Cleopatra along
with their armies and fleet. After their defeat in the sea battle of Aktio
the 31 BC the victorious Octabian Augustus enchanted by the island spent two winters
there the 30 and 19 / 18 BC and granted the Samians roman citizenship and returned
all statues taken by Antony from Iraion.
•Tiberius heir of Augustus granted back to Iraio the right of asylum, which
brought back to Iraio its old splendor.
•Caligula dreamt of rebuilding the palace of Polykrates.
•Nero granted Samos its independence and helped the island to recover after
it was hit by disastrous earthquakes.
•Claudius built the temple of Dionysus.
•Vespian, however, abolished the independence of the island and assigned
it to the roman province of the island with Rhodes
as its administrative center.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below
Subsequent to the loss of its independence from the romans, Samos
entered in an era of decadence. This state of things continued throughout the
first period of the Byzantine Empire and even if the historical sources for this
period are scarce, it is believed that the population of the island diminished
dramatically. Samos was raided by pirates during the reign of Ioulianos (361-363
AD) by Goths, Alanans (5th century AD), Slavs (6th century AD) and Arab Saracens
the 7th century.
The 7th century AD the heirs of Heraklios took over the administrative
and military restructuring of the empire and created a mighty fleet. They introduced
the institution of Themata. These were military units permanently stationed to
different areas of the Empire responsible for its defense. Land was given to the
soldiers so they did not only defend the Empire but their homes and land too.
The 9th century AD the naval Thema of Samos was created, which controlled the
opposite coasts of Asia
Minor. The Thema of Samos took part in the campaigns against the Saracens
and especially at the liberation of Crete
from Nikiphoros Phokas the 961 AD.
In 1312 the Turks attack repeatedly the island and its inhabitants
find security in the mountainous castles of Lazaros and Loulouda. After the disastrous
earthquake of 1476 the inhabitants of the island flee from Samos.
In 1546 the French traveler Pier Belon passed through Samos and reported
in his journal that he did not come across any village in the island and that
there were only shepherds in the highlands.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
The 1562 the sultan's admiral Kilidz Pashas due to a sea storm unbarks
in Samos. He was deeply impressed by the natural beauty of the island and after
the erg of his officer Nikolaos Sarakinis from Patmos, he asked from the sultan
to place the island under his control and to recolonize it.
With the sultans decree a lot of privileges were given to Christians
who would colonize Samos and it was strictly forbidden for a Turk to inhabit the
island or even stay there for a brief time. Greeks from all over Greece colonized
the island. The names of their place of origin can still be found in the names
of existing villages such as: Mitilinioi, Arvanites, Koumaioi from Kimi, Vourliotes
from Vourla
of Minor Asia, Pagondas from the village with the same name in Evoia,
Moraitohori
etc.
In 1673, according to the English traveler Randolph, the population
of Samos was 10000 people In 1800 the French Tournof reports that the exquisite
Samos wine was being exported to France and that there was an important production
of silk.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
Despite its proximity to Asia
Minor, Samos throughout the Greek struggle for independence was a Greek stronghold
for the control of the southeast Aegean.
The leading figure of the Revolution was Likourgos Logothetis, members
of the secret organization, Philiki Etaireia. The 18th of April 1821 the Samians
under the command of Kostantinos Lahanas raised the flag of the revolution in
Pigadakia of Vathi.
Thanks to their good organization the revolutionaries successfully
defended the island from numerous Turkish attacks. One of the most important defense
structure used was the Castle of Likourgos in Pythagorio.
The 5th of July 1821 the Turks tried to invaded from the promontory
Georgis east of Pythagorio, where they encountered heroic resistance for few Samians
under the command of Kapetan Stamati. The Turks were annihilated and since that
day the promontory is called Phonias "killer". The 5th of
August 1824 in the straits of Mykali
the Turkish fleet, under the leadership of Hosref, was defeated by the Greek fleet
under the command of Georgios Sahtouris.
Kanaris with his incendiary vessel blew up the Turkish flagship in
the Eptastadios Porthmos. The next day, the 6th of August, the day of the Transfiguration
of Virgin Mary, the Greeks celebrated their victory and latter constructed the
church of the Transfiguration of Virgin Mary next to the castle of Licourgos in
memory of this great victory.
The 24th until the 29th August 1824 in the nearby gulf of Gerodas
the greatest sea battle of the Revolution took place. The Greek fleet with just
70 ships and under the leadership of Andreas Miaoulis, vanquished the Turkish-Egyptian
fleet numbering triple the amount of vessels. Despite its decisive
role in the Revolution, the great powers, England, France and Russia with the
treaty of London in 1830 did not contain Samos in the New Greek State. Samos was
declared a Hegemony under the protection of the Sultan, with a Christian ruler
chosen by the Sultan. Likourgos Logothetis along with 6000 other Samian not accepting
the new regime abandoned the island.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
Thanks to the relative independence that the Hegemony assured, a new
period of development began in Samos. The road system was built, the sector of
public health and the education were organized and there was an important development
of arts and sports.
In 1849 with the publishing of the New Administrative Charta the common
law was redefined to a more liberal direction. The special political system of
Samos was the cause for the development of social and political institutions different
from those of other islands.
In 1837 the central school of Vathi
was founded, a high school in Mitilinioi
and other schools in the villages and in 1854 the central school of Vathi became
the 1st Pythagorio High School.
Between 1842 until 1862 the new port of Tigani (Pythagorio)
was built having as foundation the ancient port of Samos. In 1863 the first newspaper
"Samos" was printed. All official decrees of the Hegemony were published
by "Samos".
From 1881 until 1912 there were continuous struggles for independence
form the sultan. The 11th of November 1912 in the church of Agios Spiridonas the
representatives of the people of Samos unanimously voted the unification of the
island with Greece. The leading figure of the unification was Themistoklis Sophoulis.
After 1900 the systematic cultivation of tobacco and vine begun. The
exquisite Muscat wine of Samos was exported mainly in Germany, Holland and France
while the tobacco in the USA and Germany. The tobacco industry flourished until
the economic crisis of 1930. In 1932 there were public tobacco factories in the
port of Vathi,
in Tigani
(Pythagorio) and in Neo Karlovassi. In Karlovassi
40 small and large leather factories were operating, employing 300-400 workers.
Throughout the era of sail ships Samos had an important role in this
industry and with the arrival of the steamships the "Atmoploia Samou"
was founded by the commercial house of Iglessis in 1910. The construction of ships
had a notable development thanks to the Samian pinewood.
In 1932 small sail ships and mechanized, with internal combustion
engines, were being built in different locations of the island. The most important
were in Tigani (Pithagorio), in Marathokabos
and in Kalabaktassi. It is estimated that Samos built half of the Greek fleet.
The port of Pithagorio linked Greece with the Dodecanese,
which was under Italian occupation and all commerce with the coasts of Asia
Minor was conducted through Pythagorio.
During the 2nd world war the Greek and allied forces used Pythagorio
for their movement from and to Asia Minor. The people of Samos played a decisive
role in the resistance against the German and Italian invaders. With the surrender
of Italy the Italian commander of the Kouneo brigade placed his men under the
command of Bishop Eirinaios and Greek forces (Ieros Lohos) and latter English
forces come to the island from the Middle East.
1st-17th November 1943 elements of Ieros Lohos (The Sacred Band) parachuted
successfully while others landed by sea in Samos and organized the defense of
the island against the Germans.
The 17th of November 1943 bombarded Samos and especially Pythagorio
the port used by the Italians. A lot of people fled to the Monastery of Spiliani.
The germans conquered the island but the resistance continued on the mountains
until the final liberation of the island.
This text is cited Febr 2004 from the Municipality of Pythagorio URL below, which contains images
On the same day when the Persians were so stricken at Plataea, it
so happened that they suffered a similar fate at Mykale in Ionia. When the Greeks
who had come in their ships with Leutychides the Lacedaemonian were encamped at
Delos, certain messengers came to them there from Samos, Lampon of Thrasycles,
Athenagoras son of Archestratides, and Hegesistratus son of Aristagoras. The
Samians had sent these, keeping their despatch secret from the Persians and the
tyrant Theomestor son of Androdamas, whom the Persians had made tyrant of Samos.
When they came before the generals, Hegesistratus spoke long and vehemently: 'If
the Ionians but see you', he said, 'they will revolt from the Persians, and the
barbarians will not remain; but if they do remain, you will have such a prey as
never again'. He begged them in the name of the gods of their common worship to
deliver Greeks from slavery and drive the barbarian away. That, he said, would
be an easy matter for them, 'for the Persian ships are unseaworthy and no match
for yours; and if you have any suspicion that we may be tempting you deceitfully,
we are ready to be taken in your ships as hostages'.
As the Samian stranger was pleading so earnestly, Leutychides asked
him (whether it was that he desired to know for the sake of a presage, or through
some happy chance of a god), 'Samian stranger, what is your name'? 'Hegesistratus',
he replied. Then Leutychides cut short whatever else Hegesistratus had begun to
say, and cried: 'I accept the omen of your name, Samian stranger; now see to it
that before you sail from here you and those who are with you pledge that the
Samians will be our zealous allies'.
He said this and added deed to word. For straightway the Samians
bound themselves by pledge and oath to alliance with the Greeks. This
done, the rest sailed away, but Leutychides bade Hegesistratus to sail with the
Greeks because of the good omen of his name...
... Having won favorable omens, the Greeks put out to sea from Delos for Samos.
When they were now near Calamisa in the Samian territory, they anchored there
near the temple of Hera which is in those parts, and prepared for a sea-fight.
The Persians, learning of their approach, also put out to sea and made for the
mainland with all their ships save the Phoenicians, whom they sent sailing away.
It was determined by them in council that they would not do battle by sea, for
they thought themselves overmatched; the reason of their making for the mainland
was that they might be under the shelter of their army at Mykale, which had been
left by Xerxes' command behind the rest of his host to hold Ionia. There were
sixty thousand men in it, and Tigranes, the noblest and tallest man in Persia,
was their general. It was the design of the Persian admirals to flee to the shelter
of that army, and there to beach their ships and build a fence round them which
should be a protection for the ship and a refuge for themselves.
With this design they put to sea. So when they came past the temple
of the Goddesses at Mykale to the Gaeson and Scolopois, where there is a temple
of Eleusinian Demeter (which was built by Philistus son of Pasicles when he went
with Nileus son of Codrus to the founding of Miletus), they beached their ships
and fenced them round with stones and the trunks of orchard trees which they cut
down; they drove in stakes around the fence and prepared for siege or victory,
making ready, after consideration, for either event.
When the Greeks learned that the barbarians had gone off to the mainland,
they were not all pleased that their enemy had escaped them, and did not know
whether to return back or set sail for the Hellespont. At last they resolved that
they would do neither, but sail to the mainland. Equipping themselves for this
with gangways and everything else necessary for a sea-fight, they held their course
for Mykale. When they approached the camp, no one put out to meet them. Seeing
the ships beached within the wall and a great host of men drawn up in array along
the strand, Leutychides first sailed along in his ship, keeping as near to the
shore as he could, and made this proclamation to the Ionians by the voice of a
herald: 'Men of Ionia, you who hear us, understand what I say, for by no means
will the Persians understand anything I charge you with when we join battle; first
of all it is right for each man to remember his freedom and next the battle-cry
"Hebe": and let him who hears me tell him who has not heard it'. The
purpose of this act was the same as Themsitocles' purpose at Artemisium; either
the message would be unknown to the barbarians and would prevail with the Ionians,
or if it were thereafter reported to the barbarians, it would cause them to mistrust
their Greek allies.
After this counsel of Leutychides, the Greeks brought their ships
to land and disembarked on the beach, where they formed a battle column. But the
Persians, seeing the Greeks prepare for battle and exhort the Ionians, first of
all took away the Samians' armor, suspecting that they would aid the Greeks; for
indeed when the barbarian's ships brought certain Athenian captives, who had been
left in Attica and taken by Xerxes' army, the Samians had set them all free and
sent them away to Athens with provisions for the journey; for this reason in particular
they were held suspect, as having set free five hundred souls of Xerxes' enemies.
Furthermore, they appointed the Milesians to guard the passes leading to the heights
of Mykale, alleging that they were best acquainted with the country. Their true
reason, however, for so doing was that the Milesians should be separate from the
rest of their army. In such a manner the Persians safeguarded themselves from
those Ionians who (they supposed) might turn against them if opportunity were
given for themselves: they set their shields close to make a barricade.
The Greeks, having made all their preparations advanced their line
against the barbarians. As they went, a rumor spread through the army, and a herald's
wand was seen lying by the water-line. The rumor that ran was to the effect that
the Greeks were victors over Mardonius' army at a battle in Boeotia. Now there
are many clear indications of the divine ordering of things, seeing that a message,
which greatly heartened the army and made it ready to face danger, arrived amongst
the Greeks the very day on which the Persians' disaster at Plataea and that other
which was to befall them at Mykale took place.
Moreover, there was the additional coincidence, that there were precincts
of Eleusinian Demeter on both battlefields; for at Plataea the fight was near
the temple of Demeter, as I have already said, and so it was to be at Mykale also.
It happened that the rumor of a victory won by the Greeks with Pausanias was true,
for the defeat at Plataea happened while it was yet early in the day, and the
defeat of Mykale in the afternoon. That the two fell on the same day of the same
month was proven to the Greeks when they examined the matter not long afterwards.
Now before this rumor came they had been faint-hearted, fearing less for themselves
than for the Greeks with Pausanias, that Hellas should stumble over Mardonius.
But when the report sped among them, they grew stronger and swifter in their onset.
So Greeks and barbarians alike were eager for battle, seeing that the islands
and the Hellespont were the prizes of victory.
As for the Athenians and those whose place was nearest them, that
is, for about half of the line, their way lay over the beach and level ground;
for the Lacedaemonians and those that were next to them, their way lay through
a ravine and among hills. While the Lacedaemonians were making a circuit, those
others on the other wing were already fighting. As long as the Persians' shields
stood upright, they defended themselves and held their own in the battle, but
when the Athenians and their neighbors in the line passed the word and went more
zealously to work, that they and not the Lacedaemonians might win the victory,
immediately the face of the fight changed. Breaking down the shields they charged
all together into the midst of the Persians, who received the onset and stood
their ground for a long time, but at last fled within their wall. The Athenians
and Corinthians and Sicyonians and Troezenians, who were next to each other in
the line, followed close after and rushed in together. But when the walled place
had been razed, the barbarians made no further defense, but took to flight, all
save the Persians, who gathered into bands of a few men and fought with whatever
Greeks came rushing within the walls. Of the Persian leaders two escaped by flight
and two were killed; Artayntes and Ithanitres, who were admirals of the fleet,
escaped; Mardontes and Tigranes, the general of the land army, were killed fighting.
While the Persians still fought, the Lacedaemonians and their comrades
came up and finished what was left of the business. The Greeks too lost many men
there, notably the men of Sicyon and their general Perilaus. As for the
Samians who served in the Median army and had been disarmed, they, seeing from
the first that victory hung in the balance, did what they could in their desire
to aid the Greeks. When the other Ionians saw the Samians set the example, they
also abandoned the Persians and attacked the foreigners.
The Persians had for their own safety appointed the Milesians to watch
the passes, so that if anything should happen to the Persian army such as did
happen to it, they might have guides to bring them safely to the heights of Mykale.
This was the task to which the Milesians were appointed for the reason mentioned
above and so that they might not be present with the army and so turn against
it. They acted wholly contrary to the charge laid upon them; they misguided the
fleeing Persians by ways that led them among their enemies, and at last they themselves
became their worst enemies and killed them. In this way Ionia revolted for the
second time from the Persians.
In that battle those of the Greeks who fought best were the
Athenians, and the Athenian who fought best was one who practised the pancratium,
Hermolycus son of Euthoenus. This Hermolycus on a later day met his death in a
battle at Cyrnus in Carystus during a war between the Athenians and Carystians,
and lay dead on Geraestus. Those who fought best after the Athenians were the
men of Corinth and Troezen and Sicyon.
When the Greeks had made an end of most of the barbarians, either
in battle or in flight, they brought out their booty onto the beach, and found
certain stores of wealth. Then after burning the ships and the whole of the wall,
they sailed away. When they had arrived at Samos, they debated in council over
the removal of all Greeks from Ionia, and in what Greek lands under their dominion
it would be best to plant the Ionians, leaving the country itself to the barbarians;
for it seemed impossible to stand on guard between the Ionians and their enemies
forever. If, however, they should not so stand, they had no hope that the Persians
would permit the Ionians to go unpunished. In this matter the Peloponnesians who
were in charge were for removing the people from the lands of those Greek nations
which had sided with the Persians and giving their land to the Ionians to dwell
in. The Athenians disliked the whole plan of removing the Greeks from Ionia, or
allowing the Peloponnesians to determine the lot of Athenian colonies, and as
they resisted vehemently, the Peloponnesians yielded. It accordingly came about
that they admitted to their alliance the Samians, Chians, Lesbians, and all other
islanders who had served with their forces, and bound them by pledge and oaths
to remain faithful and not desert their allies. When the oaths had been sworn,
the Greeks set sail to break the bridges, supposing that these still held fast.
So they laid their course for the Hellespont. (Herodotus 9.90.1 - 9.107.3)
This extract is from: Herodotus. The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley, 1920), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Jan 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
Holding the western wing with sixty ships. (see Lade )
Samian bravery against the Persians in the Cyprian revolt
Marathesium . . originally belonged to the people of Samos, but they gave it to the Ephesians in exchange for Neapolis, which was nearer to Samos. (Strabo 14.1.20)
At the present time, however, it (Icaria) has but few inhabitants left, and is used by Samians mostly for the grazing of cattle.
The samaena is a ship of war with a boar's head design for prow and ram, but more capacious than usual and paunchlike, so that it is a good deep-sea traveller and a swift sailor too. [4] It got this name because it made its first appearance in Samos, where Polycrates the tyrant had some built.
Periander (of Corinth) son of Cypselus sent to Alyattes at Sardis three hundred boys, sons of notable men in Corcyra, to be made eunuchs. The Corinthians who brought the boys put in at Samos; and when the Samians heard why the boys were brought, first they instructed them to take sanctuary in the temple of Artemis, then they would not allow the suppliants to be dragged from the temple; and when the Corinthians tried to starve the boys out, the Samians held a festival which they still celebrate in the same fashion; throughout the time that the boys were seeking asylum, they held nightly dances of young men and women to which it was made a custom to bring cakes of sesame and honey, so that the Corcyraean boys might snatch these and have food. This continued to be done until the Corinthian guards left their charge and departed; then the Samians took the boys back to Corcyra.
The inhabitants of the island received the Ionians as settlers more of necessity than through good.will. The leader of the Ionians was Procles, the son of Pityreus, Epidaurian himself like the greater part of his followers, who had been expelled from Epidauria by Deiphontes and the Argives. This Procles was descended from Ion, son of Xuthus.
(Samians) settled at Cydonia in Crete, though their voyage had been made with no such intent, but rather to drive Zacynthians out of the island. Here they stayed and prospered for five years; indeed, the temples now at Cydonia and the shrine of Dictyna are the Samians' work; but in the sixth year Aeginetans and Cretans came and defeated them in a sea-fight and made slaves of them; moreover they cut off the ships' prows, that were shaped like boars' heads, and dedicated them in the temple of Athena in Aegina. The Aeginetans did this out of a grudge against the Samians; for previously the Samians, in the days when Amphicrates was king of Samos, sailing in force against Aegina, had hurt the Aeginetans and been hurt by them. This was the cause.
King Darius conquered Samos, the greatest of all city states, Greek
or barbarian, the reason for his conquest being this: when Cambyses, son of Cyrus,
invaded Egypt, many Greeks came with the army, some to trade, as was natural,
and some to see the country itself; among them was Syloson, son of Aeaces, who
was Polycrates' brother and in exile from Samos. This Syloson had a stroke of
good luck. He was in the market at Memphis wearing a red cloak, when Darius, at
that time one of Cambyses' guard and as yet a man of no great importance, saw
him, and coveting the cloak came and tried to buy it. When Syloson saw Darius'
eagerness, by good luck he said, 'I will not sell this for any money, but I give
it to you free if you must have it so much'. Extolling this, Darius accepted the
garment.
Syloson supposed that he had lost his cloak out of foolish good nature.
But in time Cambyses died, the seven rebelled against the Magus, and Darius of
the seven came to the throne; Syloson then learned that the successor to the royal
power was the man to whom he had given the garment in Egypt; so he went up to
Susa and sat in the king's antechamber, saying that he was one of Darius' benefactors.
When the doorkeeper brought word of this to the king, Darius asked 'But to what
Greek benefactor can I owe thanks? In the little time since I have been king hardly
one of that nation has come to us, and I have, I may say, no use for any Greek.
Nevertheless bring him in, so that I may know what he means'. The doorkeeper brought
Syloson in and the interpreters asked him as he stood there who he was and what
he had done to call himself the king's benefactor. Then Syloson told the story
of the cloak, and said that it was he who had given it. 'Most generous man', said
Darius, 'it was you who gave me a present when I had as yet no power; and if it
was a small one, I was none the less grateful then than I am now when I get a
big one. In return, I give you gold and silver in abundance so you may never be
sorry that you did Darius son of Hystaspes good'. Syloson answered, 'Do not give
me gold, O king, or silver, but Samos, my country, which our slave has now that
my brother Polycrates has been killed by Oroetes; give me this without killing
or enslaving'.
Having heard this, Darius sent an army and Otanes, one of the seven,
to command it, instructing him to do whatever Syloson asked. So Otanes went down
to the coast and got his army ready.
Now Samos was ruled by Maeandrius, son of Maeandrius, who had authority
delegated by Polycrates. He wanted to be the justest of men, but that was impossible.
For when he learned of Polycrates' death, first he set up an altar to Zeus the
Liberator and marked out around it that sacred enclosure which is still to be
seen in the suburb of the city; when this had been done, he called an assembly
of all the citizens, and addressed them thus: "To me, as you know, have come
Polycrates' scepter and all of his power, and it is in my power now to rule you.
But I, so far as it lies in me, shall not do myself what I blame in my neighbor.
I always disliked it that Polycrates or any other man should lord it over men
like himself. Polycrates has fulfilled his destiny, and inviting you to share
his power I proclaim equality. Only I claim for my own privilege that six talents
of Polycrates' wealth be set apart for my use, and that I and my descendants keep
the priesthood of Zeus the Liberator, whose temple I have founded, and now I give
you freedom". Such was Maeandrius' promise to the Samians. But one of them
arose and answered: "But you are not even fit to rule us, low-born and vermin,
but you had better give an account of the monies that you have handled".
This was the speech of Telesarchus, a man of consequence among the
citizens. But Maeandrius, realizing that if he let go of the sovereignty someone
else would make himself sovereign instead, resolved not to let it go. Withdrawing
into the acropolis, he sent for the citizens individually as if he would give
an account of the money; then he seized and bound them. So they were imprisoned,
and afterwards Maeandrius fell sick. His brother Lycaretus thought him likely
to die, and, so that he might the more easily make himself master of Samos, he
put all the prisoners to death. They had, it would seem, no desire to be free.
So when the Persians brought Syloson back to Samos, no one raised
a hand against them, but Maeandrius and those of his faction offered to evacuate
the island under a flag of truce; Otanes agreed to this, and after the treaty
was made, the Persians of highest rank sat down on seats facing the acropolis.
Now Maeandrius the sovereign had a crazy brother named Charilaus,
who lay bound in the dungeon for some offense; this man heard what was going on,
and by peering through the dungeon window saw the Persians sitting there peaceably;
whereupon he cried with a loud voice that he wanted to talk to Maeandrius. His
brother, hearing him, had Charilaus loosed and brought before him. No sooner had
he been brought than he attempted with reviling and abuse to persuade Maeandrius
to attack the Persians. "Although I am your brother, you coward", he
said, "and did no wrong deserving of prison, you have bound and imprisoned
me; but when you see the Persians throwing you out of house and home, you have
no courage to avenge yourself, though you could so easily beat them? If you are
yourself afraid of them, give me your foreign guards, and I will punish them for
coming here; as for you, I will give you safe conduct out of the island".
This was what Charilaus said; and Maeandrius took his advice, to my
thinking not because he was so foolish as to suppose that he would be strong enough
to defeat the king, but because he did not want Syloson to recover Samos safe
and sound with no trouble. He wanted therefore by provoking the Persians to weaken
Samos as much as he could before surrendering it, for he was well aware that if
the Persians were hurt they would be furiously angry with the Samians. Besides,
he knew that he could get himself safely off the island whenever he liked, having
built a secret passage leading from the acropolis to the sea. Maeandrius then
set sail from Samos; but Charilaus armed all the guards, opened the acropolis'
gates, and attacked the Persians. These supposed that a full agreement had been
made, and were taken unawares; the guard fell upon them and killed the Persians
of highest rank, those who were carried in litters. They were engaged in this
when the rest of the Persian force came up in reinforcement, and, hard-pressed,
the guards retreated into the acropolis.
The Persian captain Otanes, seeing how big a loss the Persians had
suffered, deliberately forgot the command given him at his departure by Darius
not to kill or enslave any Samian but to deliver the island intact to Syloson;
and he commanded his army to kill everyone they took, men and boys alike. Then,
while some of the Persians laid siege to the acropolis, the rest killed everyone
they met, inside the temples and outside the temples alike.
Maeandrius sailed to Lacedaemon, escaping from Samos; and after he
arrived there and brought up the possessions with which he had left his country,
it became his habit to make a display of silver and gold drinking cups; while
his servants were cleaning these, he would converse with the king of Sparta, Cleomenes
son of Anaxandrides, and would bring him to his house. As Cleomenes marvelled
greatly at the cups whenever he saw them, Maeandrius would tell him to take as
many as he liked. Maeandrius made this offer two or three times; Cleomenes showed
his great integrity in that he would not accept; but realizing that there were
others in Lacedaemon from whom Maeandrius would get help by offering them the
cups, he went to the ephors and told them it would be best for Sparta if this
Samian stranger quit the country, lest he persuade Cleomenes himself or some other
Spartan to do evil. The ephors listened to his advice and banished Maeandrius
by proclamation.
As for Samos, the Persians swept it clear and turned it over uninhabited
to Syloson. But afterwards Otanes, the Persian general, helped to settle the land,
prompted by a dream and a disease that he contracted in his genitals.
This extract is from: Herodotus. The Histories (ed. A. D. Godley, 1920), Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Cited Jan 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
But the Ephesians under Androclus made war on Leogorus, the son of Procles, who reigned in Samos after his father, and after conquering them in a battle drove the Samians out of their island, accusing them of conspiring with the Carians against the Ionians.
He exiled most of the inhabitants and settled Athenians in the island.
In the sixth year of the truce (for 30 years between Athenians and
Laceddemonians), war broke out between the Samians and Milesians about Priene.
Worsted in the war, the Milesians came to Athens with loud complaints against
the Samians. In this they were joined by certain private persons from Samos itself,
who wished to revolutionize the government. Accordingly the Athenians sailed to
Samos with forty ships and set up a democracy; took hostages from the Samians,
fifty boys and as many men, lodged them in Lemnos, and after leaving a garrison
in the island returned home. But some of the Samians had not remained in the island,
but had fled to the continent. Making an agreement with the most powerful of those
in the city, and an alliance with Pissuthnes, son of Hystaspes, the then satrap
of Sardis, they got together a force of seven hundred mercenaries, and under cover
of night crossed over to Samos. Their first step was to rise on the commons, most
of whom they secured, their next to steal their hostages from Lemnos; after which
they revolted, gave up the Athenian garrison left with them and its commanders
to Pissuthnes, and instantly prepared for an expedition against Miletus. The Byzantines
also revolted with them.
As soon as the Athenians heard the news, they sailed with sixty ships
against Samos. Sixteen of these went to Caria to look out for the Phoenician fleet,
and to Chios and Lesbos carrying round orders for reinforcements, and so never
engaged; but forty-four ships under the command of Pericles with nine colleagues
gave battle, off the island of Tragia, to seventy Samian vessels, of which twenty
were transports, as they were sailing from Miletus. Victory remained with the
Athenians. Reinforced afterwards by forty ships from Athens, and twenty-five Chian
and Lesbian vessels, the Athenians landed, and having the superiority by land
invested the city with three walls; it was also invested from the sea. Meanwhile
Pericles took sixty ships from the blockading squadron, and departed in haste
for Caunus and Caria, intelligence having been brought in of the approach of the
Phoenician fleet to the aid of the Samians; indeed Stesagoras and others had left
the island with five ships to bring them.
But in the meantime the Samians made a sudden sally, and fell on the
camp, which they found unfortified. Destroying the look-out vessels, and engaging
and defeating such as were being launched to meet them, they remained masters
of their own seas for fourteen days, and carried in and carried out what they
pleased. But on the arrival of Pericles, they were once more shut up. Fresh reinforcements
afterwards arrived--forty ships from Athens with Thucydides, Hagnon, and Phormio;
twenty with Tlepolemus and Anticles, and thirty vessels from Chios and Lesbos.
After a brief attempt at fighting, the Samians, unable to hold out, were reduced
after a nine months' siege, and surrendered on conditions; they razed their walls,
gave hostages, delivered up their ships, and arranged to pay the expenses of the
war by instalments. The Byzantines also agreed to be subject as before.(Herodotus
1.115.1-1.117.3)
This extract is from: Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War (ed. Richard Crawley, 1910). Cited Jan 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains comments & interesting hyperlinks.
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