Samothrace Σαμοθράκη | |
|---|---|
 View of the Chora (Samothraki) | |
  Samothrace Location within the region  | |
| Coordinates:40°27′00″N25°35′15″E / 40.45000°N 25.58750°E /40.45000; 25.58750 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Eastern Macedonia and Thrace |
| Regional unit | Evros |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Athanasios Vitsas[1] (since 2014) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 178.0 km2 (68.7 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,611 m (5,285 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 2,596 |
| • Density | 14.58/km2 (37.77/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Samothracian |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 680 02 |
| Area code | 25510 |
| Vehicle registration | ΕΒ |
| Website | www.samothraki.gr |
Samothrace (also known asSamothraki;Greek:Σαμοθράκη[samoˈθraci]) is aGreek island in the northernAegean Sea. It is amunicipality within theEvros regional unit ofThrace. The island is 17 km (11 mi) long, 178 km2 (69 sq mi) in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census).[2] Its main industries arefishing andtourism. Resources on the island includegranite andbasalt. Samothrace is one of the most rugged Greek islands, with Mt Saos and its highest peak,Fengari, rising to 1,611 m (5,285 ft). TheWinged Victory of Samothrace statue, which is now displayed at theLouvre inParis, was found on the island.
Samothrace never became a state of any political significance inancient Greece, since it lacks natural harbours and most of the island is too mountainous for cultivation: MountFengari (literally 'Mt Moon') rises to 1,611 m (5,285 ft). It was the home of theSanctuary 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 includedLysander ofSparta,Philip II of Macedon andLucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, father-in-law ofJulius Caesar.
The ancient city, the ruins of which are calledPalaeopolis ('old city'), stood on the north coast. Considerable remains exist of the ancient walls, which were built in massiveCyclopean style, as well as of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, where mysterious rites (Samothracian Mysteries),[3] which were open to both slaves and free people (similar to theEleusinian Mysteries), took place.Demetrios of Skepsis mentions the Samothracian Mysteries,[3] as doesAristophanes in hisPeace.[4]
The traditional account from antiquity is that Samothrace was first inhabited byPelasgians andCarians, and later byThracians. At the end of the 8th century BCGreeks fromSamos 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 underPersian occupation in 508 BC, followed by a period ofAthenian control, and eventually became a member of theDelian League in the 5th century BC. It was subjugated byPhilip II and from then till 168 BC it was underMacedonian suzerainty. After the 168 BCbattle of Pydna, Samothrace became independent,[5]a condition that ended whenVespasian absorbed the island in theRoman 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.[6] The island is mentioned in theKing James Version of the Bible with the nameSamothracia.[7]
St Theophanes died in Samothrace in 818. TheByzantines ruled until 1204, whenVenetians took their place, only to be dislodged in 1355 by aGenoese family, theGattilusi. TheOttoman Empire conquered it in 1457 and it was calledSemadirek inTurkish. In the era ofKanuni Sultan Süleyman the island became avakıf for theSüleymaniye Mosque and itsImaret 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.[8] However, in the mid-17th century, Bernard Randolph, while describing the island withThasos andImbros, 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.[9] According to Charles Vellay a rebellion against the Ottoman rule and Muslim population by the local population during theGreek War of Independence (1821–1831) led to themassacre of 1,000 inhabitants.[10] The island came under Greek rule in 1913 following theBalkan Wars. It was occupied temporarily byBulgaria during theSecond 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 asAlexandroupoli andMyrina. There is no commercial airport on the island. Other sites of interest on the island include the ruins ofGenoese forts, the picturesque Chora (literallyvillage) and Paleapolis (literallyOld Town), and several waterfalls.
A 2019 article estimated that the current population ofgoats on the island outnumbers humans by about 15 to 1, resulting in unwantederosion as a result ofovergrazing.[11]
The island's most famous site is theSanctuary of the Great Gods (Greek:Hieron ton Megalon Theon). The most famous artifact from the temple complex is the 2.5-metre marble statue ofNike (now known as theWinged Victory of Samothrace), which dates from about 190 BC. It was discovered in pieces on the island in 1863 by the French archaeologistCharles Champoiseau. It is now headless and is displayed at theLouvre inParis. The Winged Victory is featured on the island's municipal seal.
The province of Samothrace (Greek:Επαρχία Σαμοθράκης) was one of theprovinces of the Evros Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.[12] It was abolished in 2006.
Samothraki has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate. Winters are cool and rainy with occasional heavy snowstorms, especially at higher elevations.
| Climate data for Kamariotissa village (90m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) | 12.7 (54.9) | 14.5 (58.1) | 17.2 (63.0) | 23.7 (74.7) | 28.7 (83.7) | 31.9 (89.4) | 32.3 (90.1) | 27.6 (81.7) | 22.2 (72.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 13.9 (57.0) | 21.2 (70.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.1 (44.8) | 8.6 (47.5) | 10.5 (50.9) | 15.8 (60.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.9 (75.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 15.8 (60.4) | 12.7 (54.9) | 9.4 (48.9) | 14.6 (58.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 110.1 (4.33) | 55.1 (2.17) | 73.7 (2.90) | 34.7 (1.37) | 29.7 (1.17) | 15.9 (0.63) | 12.2 (0.48) | 9 (0.4) | 8.4 (0.33) | 74.3 (2.93) | 108.3 (4.26) | 101.7 (4.00) | 633.1 (24.97) |
| Source:http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/samothraki/ (2019–2021 averages) | |||||||||||||
| Year | Island population |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 2,871 |
| 1991 | 3,083 |
| 2001 | 2,723 |
| 2011[13] | 2,859 |
| 2021[2] | 2,596 |
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 [...].
Samothrace travel guide from Wikivoyage
Administrative division of theEastern Macedonia and Thrace Region | ||
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| Regional unit ofDrama |  | |
| Regional unit ofEvros | ||
| Regional unit ofKavala | ||
| Regional unit ofRhodope | ||
| Regional unit ofThasos | ||
| Regional unit ofXanthi | ||
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| Adriatic Sea |
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| Ionian Islands and dependencies |
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| Mainland Greece |
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| Aegean Islands |
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| Related articles | ||
