Samothrace (ancient world)
Samothrace is a mountainous Greek island in the northeastern Aegean Sea, notable for its rich historical and cultural significance. Inhabited since the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, the island's name derives from colonization by settlers from Samos in the sixth century BC. Samothrace was home to a native Thracian population, which the Greek settlers peacefully integrated with. The island played a prominent role in history, serving as a naval power during the battle of Salamis and later becoming part of the Athenian Leagues.
A key highlight of Samothrace is the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, which hosted the famous Samothracian Mysteries—initiation rites that attracted pilgrims from across the Greek world. The sanctuary featured various impressive structures, including a monumental entrance and a large rotunda, both of which were influential in its religious practices. The cult worshiped deities that were associated with fertility and the underworld, intertwining local beliefs with Greek mythology. Throughout its history, Samothrace garnered attention from notable figures, including philosophers and military leaders, particularly during the Hellenistic period when it flourished under royal patronage. The rich archaeological remnants, including the renowned Victory of Samothrace statue, reflect its historical importance and cultural legacy.
Samothrace (ancient world)
Samothrake
A mountainous island in the northeastern Aegean, already inhabited in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. According to one Greek mythological tale Dardanus, son of Zeus and Electra and ancestor of the Trojans, came from Samothrace. It owed its name, however, to colonization from Samos in the later sixth century BC, although an earlier Greek settlement (c 700) from Aeolis (northwestern Asia Minor) has also, less plausibly, been suggested. The settlers joined a native Thracian population, which—to judge from Greek inscriptions employing a non-Greek language—seems to have been peacefully absorbed. The Greek foundation (Palaeopolis) occupied the shoulder of a ridge, beside a river mouth, on the north coast of the island. A naval power possessing territory on the mainland, Samothrace sent a contingent of ships to the battle of Salamis (480), and then formed part of the Athenian Leagues in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. During the Hellenistic period it frequently changed hands. After the battle of Pydna (168) King Perseus of Macedonia sought refuge on the island in vain. It was recognized by the Romans as `free.’
Remains of the archaic (polygonal) and Hellenistic wall of the principal town are still to be seen. But Samothrace was above all renowned for its sanctuary and Mysteries of the Great Gods, extending between the three streams of the river in the neighborhood of the city, from which, however, it appears to have been independent. The Greeks, on their arrival, found fertility worship already established—venerating Axierus, Mother of the Rocks—which they took over and developed on their own lines, giving her the name of Demeter. She had a subordinate mate, Cadmilus (Hermes), and was assisted by twin fertility gods of Phrygian (?) origin, the Cabiri (Dioscuri), who were little mentioned because their wrath was considered implacable; they were underworld deities, like Axiocersus (Hades) and Axiocersa (Persephone) who were likewise associated with the cult. To judge from the numerous lamps that have been unearthed, the elaborate initiation ceremonies evidently took place by night.
Pilgrims from all parts of the Greek world attended the Mysteries, which first gained significant importance in the fourth century. Lysander of Sparta (d. 395) was among those who were initiated. Plato and Aristotle mention the Samothracian rites, and it was while attending them that Philip II of Macedonia first had a sight of his future wife Olympias, the mother of Alexander the Great. But the great days of the shrine came under the Hellenistic monarchs, who endowed it with lavish gifts and buildings. Alexander's successor Lysimachus, and then Ptolemies and Seleucids, joined the ranks of the initiates, and so did the learned Varro and Julius Caesar's father-in-law Piso; for the Romans were specially interested in the alleged Samothracian origin of Dardanus, the mythical ancestor of the Trojans, since they claimed Trojan descent for themselves. Another visitor to the sanctuary was Hadrian (AD 117–38). It suffered from an earthquake c 200, and its long life was brought to an end after the empire had become Christian (375).
In the heart of the precinct was a walled enclosure with a monumental entrance (propylon), of which details have now been published. Recent excavations have clarified the construction, in five sections, of the religious zone. A pre-Greek rock altar to the Great Mother was situated in a sector that later contained the Initiation Hall (Anaktoron, c 500). Beside the hall is a Rotunda presented by Queen Arsinoe II, wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt, the largest known circular building anywhere in the Greek world (289–281). Further up the river bank was the unroofed Altar Court (Temenos), dedicated by Alexander's half-brother Philip III Arrhidaeus (330); beside it can be seen a Hall of Votive Offerings and a large building, the Hieron, c 325 BC, remodelled AD 200, probably employed for the final stages of the initiation rites. Nearby on a hillside are the traces of a theater, above which stood the sculptured figure of the Victory of Samothrace, a Hellenistic masterpiece (c 190 BC?) now in the Louvre. The sacred area was approached from the south by a monumental, triple decorated entrance and façade (Propylon), which was the gift of Ptolemy II Philadelphus and has now been described in detail; and at the northern extremity of the precinct a stuccoed, two-aisled, limestone portico (Stoa), 330 feet long, dating at least in part from the later fourth century BC, provided accommodation for visitors.