Boat building, Drakai, Samos island
SOURCE: Dan Beamer, used with permission.

According to archeological evidence, the island of Samos was infabitted since at least the third millennium BC.

In the sixth century BC Samos became the center of the Ionian civilization, ruled by Polycrates, who established the first known library in the ancient world.

Various conquests resulted in Samos being ruled by Romans, the Byzantine Empire, Venice, Genoa and the Ottoman Empire.

After the Greek State was established in 1827, the Great Powers of the time England, France and Russia did not include Samos as a part of it, even though it was at liberty. The Samians would not accept it, so in 1834 they were granted a form of political independence, under the patronage of the Great Powers, with the obligation of paying tribute to the Ottoman Empire. This regime remained until 1912, when Samos joined Greece. During this period, Samos experienced a significant economic prosperity.

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NOTE: The photograph regarding Greece on this page is re-published from Dan Beamer. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Greece information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about this photo should be addressed to Dan Beamer.