Samos is mentioned only once in the Acts narrative - as part of Paul's journey to Jerusalem carrying a gift from the churches of Achaia and Macedonia: the so-called Third Missionary Journey. The travellers had come from Chios and move quickly on to Miletus where Paul was planning to meet the elders of the church at Ephesus.
1 Maccabees 15:23 notes that Samos was one of a number of cities which received a letter indicating the support of the Roman republic for Jewish leaders in their struggle for control over Palestine in the inter-testamental period.
My first visit to the island of Samos was as part of the first official Salvation Army tour. On that journey it was simply a transit point getting from Kuşadası (Ephesus) to Patmos.
On a subsequent official tour (2013) the ferry schedules required an overnight stopover on Samos, on our journey back to Piraeus from Patmos. We had a half day free on the island so Suzanne and I made our way to the archaeological site of the Heraion of Samos: the large temple sanctuary honouring the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus. It is a sprawling site but at the time was somewhat overgrown. Good signage, however, helped us to make sense of the site.
There is a small museum at the site, but other finds are in the Museums at nearby Pythagorion and over the hill at Vathi.
If you are in the area, another worthwhile visit is to the Tunnel of Eupalinos. Built in the 6thC BC to supply water from the north to the drier southern side of the island this is a true engineering marvel. Eupalinos started two teams, digging from either side of the mountain, and they met with an incredible degree of accuracy. A pipe laid through the tunnel delivered water to southern Samos for a 1000 years!
Click here for a Google Earth view of Samos.
The entrance to the Heraion of Samos.
If you select "View larger map" then switch to satellite view the outline of the great Temple of Hera is clearly visible south west of the entrance to the site.
If you're walking up from Pythagorion in the heat of the day, don't forget a hat and a bottle of water!
Previous: Salamis Next: Samothrace
Return to the Locations list.