6/30 Samos

As we continue our journey through some of the islands around Greece, we come to Samos, which was also part of the Ionian League, as was Ephesus. Understanding of this part of the Mediterranean is understood through the deciphering of the ancient Hittite records, as both Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements have been uncovered here. It experienced the same type of collapse that a lot of the ancient Greek cities experienced in the 12^th century BCE, which resulted in a large migration of the population. Persians would come to conquer this area and use their vast naval force to control much of the Eastern Mediterranean.

One of the major figures in Samos’ history was Polycrates, who was a tyrant that ruled over this area and other parts of the Mediterranean. After acquiring much of his wealth, he would eventually com to build 4 important infrastructure projects:

1. Defense walls that ran from the beach to the mountains, 6 kilometers worth of protection

2. Aqueducts to bring water to the city, as well as a tunnel through a mountain that brought water to the occupied side of the island via a spring

3. A harbor that would enable him to have a strong naval presence

4. The Temple of Hera, another attempt to build the largest temple in antiquity, although not much of it remains. (Excavations have begun, but our visit did not prove very fruitful as most of it was still overgrown with grass, fitting as that may be because Hera was the Goddess of the Earth.)

We were also able to take a look at part of this subterranean aqueduct that was dug into the mountainside at Samos. It was originally built by Eupalino, who was the chief engineer on the project in the 6^th century BCE. The tunnel was considered an unheard of engineering feat, and had to be accomplished rather quickly because it was in an undefended area of the island. The term that’s used to describe this type of tunnel in the ancient world was ‘amphistomon’, amphi = both, stom = mouth. Its orientation, location, and slope had to be all strictly calculated because two teams of diggers began on the opposite side from each other. In addition to the area for the pipes, there were also areas for maintenance and circulation, a very intricate and advanced engineering achievement. Some of the mathematics behind the project included using similar triangles and some of the methods developed by Pythagoras to determine heights well beyond the reach of normal measuring devices. Of course this would not have been possible before Pythagoras’ birth in the 6^th century BCE. Climbing down the tunnel was an interesting experience, as you had to squeeze in through the entrance and stay crouched down throughout its length.

This has to be one of the greatest engineering feats in the world. Consider the length of tunnel they had to bore through (3/4 of a mile), the rudimentary tools they must have had to work with (they certainly didn’t have the large boring machines we use today), and the geometry of both sides coming together at the same point AND with the same slope, allowing the water to flow freely from one side of the island to the other. Yes, one could argue there are much more impressive engineering feats today that come to mind (Hoover Dam, the Chunnel, e.g.) but put into context I can’t see anything that surpasses this one.