The ancient greek island of Samos and its mysterious artifacts
Samos is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean located about 1.5 km from the coast of Turkey with a long history dating back to 4 thousand BC. The origins of the island are the subject of numerous myths and some sources define it as the homeland of Pythagoras and Epicurus. The city's museums contain a truly staggering range of ancient artefacts.
According to the ancient Greek geographer Strabo, the name of Samos is of Phoenician origin and means 'altitude near the coast', probably due to the geographical configuration of the island. The island has an ancient history and the excavations brought to light the walls equipped with circular towers, two large piers dating back to the 6th century BC and a necropolis.
The Temple of Hera is made up of an older part, dating back to the 9th century BC, made of stone and clay bricks and a wooden roof. After the fire of 600 BC, the stoa was built and forty years later was completed the so-called great temple called "labyrinth" due to the presence of numerous columns.
In ancient times, Samos was considered a very important island, so much so that the historian Herothodes defined it as the best city ever built by both the Greeks and the barbarians.
The origins of the Greek island are the setting for numerous mythological narratives. According to legend, the first inhabitants of the island were the Nereids, sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus and the Oceanina Doris. They were considered immortal creatures and benevolent in nature. They were part of the procession of the sea god Poseidon together with the Tritons and were represented as girls with hair adorned with pearls, riding dolphins or sea horses. One of the most famous nereids was Thetis, the mother of Achilles.
The first "human" inhabitants of Samos were the Pelasgians, an 'all-encompassing' term used by some ancient Greek writers for each of the ancient, primitive and presumably indigenous populations in the Mycenaean world. But even in this case mythology has its hand in it. According to tradition, the first king of the island was Ancaeus, a demigod born from the union of the god Poseidon and Astypalaea. Ancaeus participated in the Argonauts' expedition in search of the Golden Fleece, leading the ship Argo.
Furthermore, mythology also entrusts Samos with the birthplace of the goddess Hera, one of the most important deities, patroness of marriage and childbirth. She was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister and wife of Zeus, she was considered the ruler of Olympus and considered the protector of the island.
Samos occupies a prominent place in Greek mythology, and this importance is also reflected in the numerous museums in the main city, which contain a wide range of truly impressive artefacts.
The first archaeological excavations were carried out in 1812 by archaeologists from England, who then, from 1900 onwards, left the field to German scholars. The numerous artefacts found reflect the importance of the island of Samos as a cultural center of antiquity. The influence of the Minoan and Mycenaean, Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures is evident in all the finds discovered during archaeological excavations.
According to the description offered by the museum, the curious artefact shown in the image at the beginning of the article represents a horse-drawn carriage. However, there are some interesting features of the image that are puzzling.
First, the figurines have a very unusual appearance, such as pointed faces and strangely elongated necks; then, the shape of the object does not seem to have any resemblance to the horse-drawn carriages we are used to (where are the wheels?). Actually, it looks much more like a submarine! Finally, the figurine on the left has something tied to its waist, very similar to a control instrument, like a rudder.
Another truly remarkable find is a bronze plaque depicting some naked female figures. According to the transcription, it would be a gift brought by the biblical ruler of Aram, Hazael.
The text is written in Aramaic and the origin of the artifact would be Syria in the 7th century BC. The similarities with the Sumerian iconography of the sun god in the upper part of the plaque are evident.
In addition to the unique and fascinating finds found on the island, Samos is also home to one of Ancient Greece's most notable engineering feats, an aqueduct commissioned in the 6th century BC by the tyrant Polycrates from the architect and engineer Eupalinus. It is a 1036 meter tunnel, capable of transferring more than 400 m3 of water each day.
As the longest tunnel of its time, the work was considered a major feat of engineering. The historian Herodotus briefly described the tunnel in his Histories with these words:
“And about the Samians I spoke at greater length, because they have three works which are superior to those of all the others done by the Greeks: first a passage starting from the bottom and open at both ends, dug into a mountain for no less than one hundred and fifty orgies in height; the length of the passage is seven stadia, and the height and breadth both eight feet, and through the whole passage has been cut another passage twenty cubits deep and three feet wide, through which passes the water and arrives with pipes in the city, taken from an abundant source: the designer of this work was from Megara, Eupalino, son of Naustrophe".
