Samothrace

File:Αρχαιολογικός χώρος Παλαιόπολης.jpg, Paleopolis]]

File:Samothraki island.jpg

File:Σαμοθράκη - Κήποι.jpg

File:Samothrace from Imbros at sunset.jpg at sunset]]

File:Gria vathra.jpg

Samothrace never became a state of any political significance in ancient Greece, since it lacks natural harbours and most of the island is too mountainous for cultivation: Mount Fengari (literally 'Mt Moon') rises to {{cvt|1611|m|ft|0}}. It was, however, the home of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, site of important Hellenic and pre-Hellenic religious ceremonies. Those who visited this shrine to be initiated into the island cult included Lysander of Sparta, Philip II of Macedon and Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, father-in-law of Julius Caesar.

The ancient city, the ruins of which are called Palaeopolis ('old city'), stood on the north coast. Considerable remains exist of the ancient walls, which were built in massive Cyclopean style, as well as of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, where mysterious rites (Samothracian Mysteries),{{Google books |title =Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World |page=37|id=N2zyCQAAQBAJ}} which were open to both slaves and free people (similar to the Eleusinian Mysteries), took place. Demetrios of Skepsis mentions the Samothracian Mysteries, as does Aristophanes in his Peace.Aristophanes. Peace, line 277

The traditional account from antiquity is that Samothrace was first inhabited by Pelasgians and Carians, and later by Thracians. At the end of the 8th century BC Greeks from Samos colonised the island and named it "Samos of Thrace", that later became Samothrace; however, Strabo denies this. The archaeological evidence suggests that Greek settlement took place in the 6th century BC.

Samothrace came under Persian occupation in 508 BC, followed by a period of Athenian control, and eventually became a member of the Delian League in the 5th century BC. It was subjugated by Philip II and from then till 168 BC it was under Macedonian suzerainty. After the 168 BC battle of Pydna, Samothrace became independent,

{{cite book

|editor-last1 = Lehmann

|editor-first1 = Karl

|editor-link1 = Karl Lehmann (archaeologist)

|editor-last2 = Williams Lehmann

|editor-first2 = Phyllis

|editor-link2 = Phyllis Williams Lehmann

|year = 1959

|title = Samothrace: Excavations Conducted by the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, New York University. Institute of Fine Arts. Part 2: The inscriptions on ceramics and minor objects

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=P-tQAQAAMAAJ

|series = Bollingen series, volume 60

|publication-place = New York

|publisher = Pantheon Books

|page = 10

|access-date = 21 February 2025

|quote = After the battle of Pydna, Perseus took refuge on Samothrace, where he was apprehended by Roman officials.[...] From this point on, the island enjoyed independence under Roman protection [...].

}}

a condition that ended when Vespasian absorbed the island in the Roman Empire in AD 70.

During the Roman and particularly the imperial period, thanks to the interest of the Roman emperors, the influence of the sanctuary of the Great Gods extended beyond Greek borders and Samothrace became an international religious center, where pilgrims flocked from all over the Roman world. Apart from the famous sanctuary, also playing a decisive role in the great development of Samothrace were her two ports, situated on the sea road from Troas to Macedonia. Furthermore an important role was played by her possessions in Perea, which were conceded by the Romans at least during the imperial period, as evidenced by inscriptions of the 1st AD century.D. C. Samsaris, Historical Geography of Western Thrace during the Roman Antiquity (in Greek), Thessaloniki 2005, p. 120–126

The Book of Acts in the Christian Bible records that the Apostle Paul, on his second missionary journey outside of Palestine, sailed from Troas to Samothrace and spent one night there on his way to Macedonia.{{bibleverse||Acts|16:11|KJV|}} The island is mentioned in the King James Version of the Bible with the name Samothracia.{{Cite web |title=Acts 16:11 - King James Version |url =https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016%3A11&version=KJV |access-date =2022-12-04 |website=Bible Gateway |language=en |archive-date=2022-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204202802/https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016:11&version=KJV |url-status=live }}

File:Samothraki island - Francesco Piacenza - 1688.jpg

St Theophanes died in Samothrace in 818. The Byzantines ruled until 1204, when Venetians took their place, only to be dislodged in 1355 by a Genoese family, the Gattilusi. The Ottoman Empire conquered it in 1457 and it was called {{lang|tr|Semadirek}} in Turkish. In the era of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman the island became a vakıf for the Süleymaniye Mosque and its Imaret in İstanbul. During the Ottoman period, it was one of the islands open to settlement among the Boğazönü Islands. The appearance of a person from Samothrace among the new inhabitants of the island of Lemnos in 1490 indicates that the population movements on the island were mostly with the surrounding islands and therefore the coastal areas close to Anatolia. The total tax population of the island in 1519 was 182 soldiers (male population of fighting age). 53 of them were newcomers to the island. There was a total tax population of 220 soldiers here in 1530 (twelve of whom were foreigners). In 1569, there were four settlements and a tax population of 742 soldiers on the island. Seven soldiers of this population were Muslims. The fact that neighborhoods, which are the main features of Ottoman towns and cities, were established in this last date indicates the process of becoming a town.{{Cite web |title=SEMADİREK |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/semadirek |access-date=2022-11-10 |website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi |language=tr |archive-date=2022-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110144307/https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/semadirek |url-status=live }} However, in the mid-17th century, Bernard Randolph, while describing the island with Thasos and Imbros, states that all three of the islands were neglected because they were flooded by pirates and there were only two or three villages on each of them.{{Cite ODNB |last=Randolph |first=Bernard |title=The Present State of the Islands in the Archipelago |publisher=Theater |year=1687 |location=Oxford, England |pages=42 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/23114}} According to Charles Vellay a rebellion against the Ottoman rule and Muslim population by the local population during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1831) led to the massacre of 1,000 inhabitants.Charles Vellay, L'irrédentisme hellénique, 1913, 329 pages. page 131: [https://books.google.com/books?id=vMhDAAAAYAAJ&q=samothrace+massacre+1821] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201220143/https://books.google.com/books?id=vMhDAAAAYAAJ&q=samothrace+massacre+1821&dq=samothrace+massacre+1821&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HxjFT4jUFpOKhQen14GNCg&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA|date=2023-02-01}} The island came under Greek rule in 1913 following the Balkan Wars. It was occupied temporarily by Bulgaria during the Second World War, from 1941 to 1944.

The modern port town of Kamariotissa is on the north-west coast and provides ferry access to and from points in northern Greece such as Alexandroupoli and Myrina. There is no commercial airport on the island. Other sites of interest on the island include the ruins of Genoese forts, the picturesque Chora (literally village) and Paleapolis (literally Old Town), and several waterfalls.

A 2019 article estimated that the current population of goats on the island outnumbers humans by about 15 to 1, resulting in unwanted erosion as a result of overgrazing.{{Cite web |url=https://www.morningagclips.com/tens-of-thousands-of-goats-munch-island-into-crisis/ |title=Tens of thousands of goats munch island into crisis |last=Associated Press |author-link=Associated Press |date=October 7, 2019 |website=Morning Ag Clips |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-18 |archive-date=2019-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018130706/https://www.morningagclips.com/tens-of-thousands-of-goats-munch-island-into-crisis/ |url-status=live }}

The island's most famous site is the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (Greek: Hieron ton Megalon Theon). The most famous artifact from the temple complex is the 2.5-metre marble statue of Nike (now known as the Winged Victory of Samothrace), which dates from about 190 BC. It was discovered in pieces on the island in 1863 by the French archaeologist Charles Champoiseau. It is now headless and is displayed at the Louvre in Paris. The Winged Victory is featured on the island's municipal seal.

File:View of Samothraki.jpg

• Alonia (pop. 291 in 2011)
• Ano Karyotes (22)
• Ano Meria (57)
• Dafnes (16)
• Kamariotissa (1,069)
• Kato Karyotes (41)
• Katsampas (15)
• Lakkoma (317)
• Makrylies (12)
• Palaiopoli (36)
• Potamia (6)
• Profitis Ilias (189)
• Samothrace/Samothraki (Chora) (653)
• Therma (106)
• Xiropotamos (29)

The province of Samothrace ({{langx|el|Επαρχία Σαμοθράκης}}) was one of the provinces of the Evros Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.{{cite web |url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00086.pdf |title=Detailed census results 1991 |access-date=2012-09-19 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183824/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00086.pdf |url-status=live }} {{small|(39 MB)}} {{in lang|el|fr}} It was abolished in 2006.

Samothraki has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. Winters are cool and rainy with occasional heavy snowstorms, especially at higher elevations.

{{Weather box

| location = Kamariotissa village (90m)

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| Jan high C = 11.5

| Feb high C = 12.7

| Mar high C = 14.5

| Apr high C = 17.2

| May high C = 23.7

| Jun high C = 28.7

| Jul high C = 31.9

| Aug high C = 32.3

| Sep high C = 27.6

| Oct high C = 22.2

| Nov high C = 17.8

| Dec high C = 13.9

| Jan low C = 6.8

| Feb low C = 7.1

| Mar low C = 8.6

| Apr low C = 10.5

| May low C = 15.8

| Jun low C = 20.5

| Jul low C = 23.4

| Aug low C = 23.9

| Sep low C = 20.4

| Oct low C = 15.8

| Nov low C = 12.7

| Dec low C = 9.4

| Jan precipitation mm = 110.1

| Feb precipitation mm = 55.1

| Mar precipitation mm = 73.7

| Apr precipitation mm = 34.7

| May precipitation mm = 29.7

| Jun precipitation mm = 15.9

| Jul precipitation mm = 12.2

| Aug precipitation mm = 9

| Sep precipitation mm = 8.4

| Oct precipitation mm = 74.3

| Nov precipitation mm = 108.3

| Dec precipitation mm = 101.7

| source = http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/samothraki/ (2019–2021 averages)

}}

• Aristarchus of Samothrace ({{circa|220|143{{nbsp}}BC}}), ancient Greek grammarian and Homeric scholar
• Theophanes the Confessor ({{circa|758|818}})
• Nikolaos Fardys (1853–1901), Greek scholar

File:Samothraki GS 5.jpg|Fonias waterfall

File:ΣΑΜΟΘΡΑΚΗ 05.jpg|Flowing river on the slopes of Mount Fengari

File:Mount Saos.jpg|Mount Fengari (Saos)

File:Nike of Samothrake Louvre Ma2369.jpg|The Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the best-known ancient Greek statues (Louvre)

File:Samοthraki.jpg|Chora (Samothraki)

File:20020800 Paleopolis Samothrace island Thrace Greece.jpg|Venetian towers

File:Greek flag (black cross).svg|Flag of the revolutionaries of Samothrace during the Greek War of Independence

File:Samothraki Holocaust.JPG|The Holocaust of Samothraki (1821) by François-Auguste Vinson

• List of settlements in the Evros regional unit
• Battle of Samothrace (1698)

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• Michel Mourre, Dictionnaire Encyclopédique d'Histoire, article "Samothrace", Bordas, 1996
• Marcel Dunan, Histoire Universelle, Larousse, 1960

{{Refend}}

{{commons category|Samothraki}}

{{wikivoyage-inline}}

• [https://samothrace.tsakbam.eu Samothrace travel guide] (in English)
• [http://www.samothraki.gr Official Samothrace webpage] (in Greek)
• [https://sites.google.com/view/samothraki/home Samothraki Visitor Information Website] (in English)
• [https://www.samothrakigreece.com/ Samothraki Travel Portal] (in English, Greek, and German)

{{Aegean Sea}}

{{Eastern Macedonia and Thrace}}

{{Second Journey of Paul of Tarsus}}

{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece}}

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Category:Islands of Greece

Category:Municipalities of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

Category:Provinces of Greece

Category:Landforms of Evros (regional unit)

Category:Islands of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace

Category:Populated places in Evros (regional unit)

Category:North Aegean islands

Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece

Category:Ionian colonies in Thrace

Category:Samian colonies

Category:Members of the Delian League

Category:Thracian Sea

Category:Territories of the Republic of Venice

Category:Territories of the Republic of Genoa

Category:Hellenic Navy bases

Category:Populated places in the ancient Aegean islands