"Samothraki, The Island of the Great Gods" Samothraki Island by dimilag

Samothrace (Samothraki) is an island in Greece, in the northern Aegean Sea. The name of the island means Thracian Samos. It is a self-governing deme in the prefecture of Evros and is the westernmost and the southernmost in the province of East Macedonia and Thrace. It is the southernmost island and point in Greek Thrace. It is only a few kilometres west of the maritime boundary between Greece and Turkey. The island is 17 km long and is 178 km² in size. Its main industries are fishing and tourism. It is located opposite the gulf of Saos. It is mostly mountainous. It is covered by Mt. Saos whose peak Fegari (moon) reaches an altitude of 1,600 metres, which is the highest peak on any island, Crete and Evia apart. Samothrace has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and fairly cool summers.

The smooth coastline forms four capes: Akrotiri, Malathria or Megalo Akrotiri, Angistro, and Kipo.

Niki of Samothrace Statue

According to Homer, Samothrace was the island from which Neptune (Poseidon) watched the fall of Troy. Researchers believe that the island was inhabited early, the precocious season of copper, from colonists from Thrace. It is believed that roughly in 700 b.C. Aeolians, speaking Greek, reached the island from Lesvos, settled and built the town Samothrace, an important town-state of antiquity. The Greek settlers adopted the local religious creed of Great Gods, and built the impressive sanctuary of Great Gods, in the north-western foot of mountain Feggari. Later, this sanctuary became the main religious centre of the residents of Aeolia, Thrace and Macedonia. The religion of Ancient Gods was a mix of mysticism, idolatry of feminine deities of fertility and deities of Thrace’s hinterland. During the Byzantine period, during crusades, Samothrace was under Genoa’s control, that built many castles in the island. The modern history of the island fits in with the history of Eastern Aegean, with the Ottoman domination lasting up to the beginning of the 20th century. The crowning antiquity discovered in the island is Niki of Samothrace, a statue dating back to 200 b.C. and represents victory.

The statue was discovered in 1863 and today adorns the museum of Louvre, in Paris, in a prestigious place. The statue is made of marble and is thought that has been created as a monument for an important Greek naval martial victory. It is a female winged body that descended from the sky in the prow of a boat, while its feathers still flap and it looks as if it turns round its axis giving emphasis to the movement of the body. Its feathers look like tearing its dress, which "is caressed" softly by the wind, showing off its strong body and its legs, while the drapery of its dress give emphasis in swirling movements. Niki of Samothrace is an unimpeachable sample of the sculptures of Hellenistic period. The name of its creator is unknown, but an engraving of the sculpture contains the word Rodios (from Rhodes), something that may imply the origin of the statue.

Chora

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 Kavala. There is no commercial airport on the island. Other sites of interest on the island include the ruins of Genoese forts, the picturesque hora (old town), and several waterfalls.

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