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{{Infobox Greek Dimos
| name               = Samothrace
| name_local         = Σαμοθράκη
|type = municipality
| image_map          = 2011 Dimos Samothrakis.svg
| image_skyline      = 20020800 Chora Samothrace island Thrace Greece.jpg
| caption_skyline    = View of the Chora (Samothraki)
| periph             = [[Eastern Macedonia and Thrace]]
| periphunit         = [[Evros (regional unit)|Evros]]
| pop_municipality   = 2596
| area_municipality  = 178.0
| population_as_of   = 2021
| demonym            = [[wikt:Samothracian|Samothracian]]
| elevation          = 
| mayor              = Athanasios Vitsas<ref name=mayor>{{Cite web |url=https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9009/ |title=Municipality of Samothrace, Municipal elections{{snd}}October 2023 |publisher=[[Ministry of the Interior (Greece)|Ministry of Interior]]}}</ref>
| since              = 2014
| city_seal          = 
| coordinates        = {{Coord|40|27|00|N|25|35|15|E|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code        = 680 02
| area_code          = 25510
| licence            = ΕΒ
| website            = [http://www.samothraki.gr www.samothraki.gr]
| elevation_min      = 0
| elevation_max      = 1611
}}
[[File:Samothraki - from NNE.jpg|thumb|Samothrace (from NNE)]]
'''Samothrace''' ({{langx|el|Σαμοθράκη|Samothráki}}, {{IPA|el|s̠amoˈθɾaci|pron}}) is a [[list of islands of Greece|Greek island]] in the northern [[Aegean Sea]]. It is a [[municipalities and communities of Greece|municipality]] within the [[Evros (regional unit)|Evros regional unit]] of [[East Macedonia and Thrace|Thrace]]. The island is {{cvt|17|km|mi|0}} long, {{cvt|178|km2|sqmi|0}} in size and has a population of 2,596 (2021 census).<ref name=census21/> Its main industries are [[fishing]] and [[tourism]]. Resources on the island include [[granite]] and [[basalt]]. Samothrace is one of the most rugged Greek islands, with Mt Saos and its highest peak, [[Fengari]], rising to {{cvt|1611|m|ft}}. The ''[[Winged Victory of Samothrace]]'' statue, which is now displayed at the [[Louvre]] in [[Paris]], was found on the island.

==History==

===Antiquity===
[[File:Αρχαιολογικός χώρος Παλαιόπολης.jpg|thumb|left|[[Samothrace temple complex|Sanctuary of the Great Gods]], Paleopolis]]
[[File:Samothraki island.jpg|thumb|left|Samothrace, with Mount Fengari in the background]]
[[File:Σαμοθράκη - Κήποι.jpg|thumb|Landscape]]
[[File:Samothrace from Imbros at sunset.jpg|thumb|View of Samothrace from [[Imbros]] at sunset]]
[[File:Gria vathra.jpg|thumb|right|Waterfall and pond, characteristics of the island]]

Samothrace never became a state of any political significance in [[ancient Greece]], since it lacks natural harbours and most of the island is too mountainous for cultivation: Mount [[Fengari]] (literally 'Mt Moon') rises to {{cvt|1611|m|ft|0}}. It was the home of the [[Samothrace temple complex|Sanctuary of the Great Gods]], site of important Hellenic and pre-Hellenic religious ceremonies. Those who visited this shrine to be initiated into the island cult included [[Lysander]] of [[Sparta]], [[Philip II of Macedon]] and [[Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (consul 58 BC)|Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus]], father-in-law of [[Julius Caesar]].

The ancient city, the ruins of which are called '''Palaeopolis''' ('old city'), stood on the north coast. Considerable remains exist of the ancient walls, which were built in massive [[Cyclopean]] style, as well as of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, where mysterious rites (Samothracian Mysteries),<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Google books |title =Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World |page=37|id=N2zyCQAAQBAJ}}</ref> which were open to both slaves and free people (similar to the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]]), took place. [[Demetrios of Skepsis]] mentions the Samothracian Mysteries,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> as does [[Aristophanes]] in his [[Peace (play)|''Peace'']].<ref>Aristophanes. ''Peace'', line 277</ref>

The traditional account from antiquity is that Samothrace was first inhabited by [[Pelasgians]] and [[Carians]], and later by [[Thracians]]. At the end of the 8th century BC [[Greeks]] from [[Samos]] colonised the island and named it "Samos of Thrace", that later became Samothrace; however, [[Strabo]] denies this. The archaeological evidence suggests that Greek settlement took place in the 6th century BC.

Samothrace came under [[Persian Empire|Persian]] occupation in 508 BC, followed by a period of [[Athenian]] control, and eventually became a member of the [[Delian League]] in the 5th century BC. It was subjugated by [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] and from then till 168 BC it was under [[Macedon]]ian suzerainty. After the 168 BC [[battle of Pydna]], Samothrace became independent,<ref>
{{cite book
 |editor-last1         = Lehmann
 |editor-first1        = Karl
 |editor-link1         = Karl Lehmann (archaeologist)
 |editor-last2         = Williams Lehmann
 |editor-first2        = Phyllis
 |editor-link2         = Phyllis Williams Lehmann
 |year                 = 1959
 |title                = Samothrace: Excavations Conducted by the Institute of Fine Arts of New York University, New York University. Institute of Fine Arts. Part 2: The inscriptions on ceramics and minor objects
 |url                  = https://books.google.com/books?id=P-tQAQAAMAAJ
 |series               = Bollingen series, volume 60
 |publication-place    = New York
 |publisher            = Pantheon Books
 |page                 = 10
 |access-date          = 21 February 2025
 |quote                = After the battle of Pydna, Perseus took refuge on Samothrace, where he was apprehended by Roman officials.[...] From this point on, the island enjoyed independence under Roman protection [...].
}}
</ref>
a condition that ended when [[Vespasian]] absorbed the island in the [[Roman Empire]] in AD 70.

During the Roman and particularly the imperial period, thanks to the interest of the Roman emperors, the influence of the sanctuary of the Great Gods extended beyond Greek borders and Samothrace became an international religious center, where pilgrims flocked from all over the Roman world. Apart from the famous sanctuary, also playing a decisive role in the great development of Samothrace were her two ports, situated on the sea road from [[Troad | Troas]] to Macedonia. Furthermore an important role was played by her possessions in Perea, which were conceded by the Romans at least during the imperial period, as evidenced by inscriptions of the 1st AD century.<ref>D. C. Samsaris, Historical Geography of Western Thrace during the Roman Antiquity (in Greek), Thessaloniki 2005, p. 120–126</ref> The island is mentioned in the [[King James Version]] of the Bible with the name ''Samothracia''.<ref>{{Cite web  |title=Acts 16:11 – King James Version  |url =https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016%3A11&version=KJV  |access-date =2022-12-04  |website=Bible Gateway  |language=en  |archive-date=2022-12-04  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204202802/https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2016:11&version=KJV  |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Middle Ages to Modern era===
[[File:Samothraki island - Francesco Piacenza - 1688.jpg|thumb|Samothrachi by Francesco Piacenza, 1688]]

St Theophanes died in Samothrace in 818. The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] ruled until 1204, when [[Republic of Venice|Venetians]] took their place, only to be dislodged in 1355 by a [[Genoa|Genoese]] family, the [[Gattilusi]]. The [[Ottoman Empire]] conquered it in 1457 and it was called {{lang|tr|Semadirek}} in [[Turkish language|Turkish]]. In the era of [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Kanuni Sultan Süleyman]] the island became a [[Waqf|vakıf]] for the [[Süleymaniye Mosque]] and its [[Imaret]] in İstanbul. During the Ottoman period, it was one of the islands open to settlement among the Boğazönü Islands. The appearance of a person from Samothrace among the new inhabitants of the island of Lemnos in 1490 indicates that the population movements on the island were mostly with the surrounding islands and therefore the coastal areas close to Anatolia. The total tax population of the island in 1519 was 182 soldiers (male population of fighting age). 53 of them were newcomers to the island. There was a total tax population of 220 soldiers here in 1530 (twelve of whom were foreigners). In 1569, there were four settlements and a tax population of 742 soldiers on the island. Seven soldiers of this population were Muslims. The fact that neighborhoods, which are the main features of Ottoman towns and cities, were established in this last date indicates the process of becoming a town.<ref>{{Cite web  |title=SEMADİREK  |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/semadirek  |access-date=2022-11-10  |website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi  |language=tr  |archive-date=2022-11-10  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110144307/https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/semadirek  |url-status=live  }}</ref> However, in the mid-17th century, Bernard Randolph, while describing the island with [[Thasos]] and [[Imbros]], states that all three of the islands were neglected because they were flooded by pirates and there were only two or three villages on each of them.<ref>{{Cite ODNB |last=Randolph |first=Bernard |title=The Present State of the Islands in the Archipelago |publisher=Theater |year=1687 |location=Oxford, England |pages=42 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/23114}}</ref> According to Charles Vellay a rebellion against the Ottoman rule and Muslim population by the local population during the [[Greek War of Independence]] (1821–1831) led to the [[Massacre of Samothrace (1821)|massacre]] of 1,000 inhabitants.<ref>Charles Vellay, ''L'irrédentisme hellénique'', 1913, 329 pages. page 131: [https://books.google.com/books?id=vMhDAAAAYAAJ&q=samothrace+massacre+1821] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201220143/https://books.google.com/books?id=vMhDAAAAYAAJ&q=samothrace+massacre+1821&dq=samothrace+massacre+1821&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HxjFT4jUFpOKhQen14GNCg&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCA|date=2023-02-01}}</ref> The island came under Greek rule in 1913 following the [[Balkan Wars]]. It was occupied temporarily by [[Bulgaria]] during the [[Second World War]], from 1941 to 1944.

===Today===
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 [[Myrina, Greece|Myrina]]. There is no commercial airport on the island. Other sites of interest on the island include the ruins of [[Genoese colonies|Genoese]] forts, the picturesque Chora (literally ''village'') and Paleapolis (literally ''Old Town''), and several waterfalls.

A 2019 article estimated that the current population of [[goats]] on the island outnumbers humans by about 15 to 1, resulting in unwanted [[erosion]] as a result of [[overgrazing]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.morningagclips.com/tens-of-thousands-of-goats-munch-island-into-crisis/ |title=Tens of thousands of goats munch island into crisis |last=Associated Press |author-link=Associated Press |date=October 7, 2019 |website=Morning Ag Clips |language=en-US |access-date=2019-10-18 |archive-date=2019-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018130706/https://www.morningagclips.com/tens-of-thousands-of-goats-munch-island-into-crisis/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Landmarks==
The island's most famous site is the [[Samothrace temple complex|Sanctuary of the Great Gods]] (Greek: ''Hieron ton Megalon Theon''). The most famous artifact from the temple complex is the 2.5-metre marble statue of [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]] (now known as the ''[[Winged Victory of Samothrace]]''), which dates from about 190 BC. It was discovered in pieces on the island in 1863 by the French archaeologist [[Charles Champoiseau]]. It is now headless and is displayed at the [[Louvre]] in [[Paris]]. The Winged Victory is featured on the island's municipal seal.

==Communities==
[[File:View of Samothraki.jpg|thumb|View of Samothraki town]]

*[[Alonia, Samothrace|Alonia]]	(pop. 291 in 2011)
*[[Ano Karyotes, Samothrace|Ano Karyotes]] (22)
*[[Ano Meria, Samothrace|Ano Meria]] (57)
*[[Dafnes, Samothrace|Dafnes]] (16)
*[[Kamariotissa, Samothrace|Kamariotissa]] (1,069)
*[[Kato Karyotes, Samothrace|Kato Karyotes]] (41)
*[[Katsampas, Samothrace|Katsampas]] (15)
*[[Lakkoma, Samothrace|Lakkoma]] (317)
*[[Makrylies, Samothrace|Makrylies]] (12)
*[[Palaiopoli, Samothrace|Palaiopoli]] (36)
*[[Potamia, Samothrace|Potamia]] (6)
*[[Profitis Ilias, Samothrace|Profitis Ilias]] (189)
*'''[[Samothrace (town)|Samothrace]]'''/'''Samothraki''' ('''Chora''') (653)
*[[Therma, Samothrace|Therma]] (106)
*[[Xiropotamos, Samothrace|Xiropotamos]] (29)

==Province==
The province of Samothrace ({{langx|el|Επαρχία Σαμοθράκης}}) was one of the [[provinces of Greece|provinces]] of the Evros Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.<ref name=census91>{{cite web |url=http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00086.pdf |title=Detailed census results 1991 |access-date=2012-09-19 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183824/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00086.pdf |url-status=live }}&nbsp;{{small|(39&nbsp;MB)}} {{in lang|el|fr}}</ref> It was abolished in 2006.

==Climate==
Samothraki has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]]. Winters are cool and rainy with occasional heavy snowstorms, especially at higher elevations.
{{Weather box
| location = Kamariotissa village (90m)
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| Jan high C = 11.5
| Feb high C = 12.7
| Mar high C = 14.5
| Apr high C = 17.2
| May high C = 23.7
| Jun high C = 28.7
| Jul high C = 31.9
| Aug high C = 32.3
| Sep high C = 27.6
| Oct high C = 22.2
| Nov high C = 17.8
| Dec high C = 13.9
| Jan low C = 6.8
| Feb low C = 7.1
| Mar low C = 8.6
| Apr low C = 10.5
| May low C = 15.8
| Jun low C = 20.5
| Jul low C = 23.4
| Aug low C = 23.9
| Sep low C = 20.4
| Oct low C = 15.8
| Nov low C = 12.7
| Dec low C = 9.4
| Jan precipitation mm = 110.1
| Feb precipitation mm = 55.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 73.7
| Apr precipitation mm = 34.7
| May precipitation mm = 29.7
| Jun precipitation mm = 15.9
| Jul precipitation mm = 12.2
| Aug precipitation mm = 9
| Sep precipitation mm = 8.4
| Oct precipitation mm = 74.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 108.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 101.7
| source = http://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/samothraki/ (2019–2021 averages)
}}

==Historical population==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Island population
|-
| 1981 || 2,871
|-
| 1991 || 3,083
|-
| 2001 || 2,723
|-
| 2011<ref name=census11>{{cite web | url = http://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/1210503/resident_population_census2011rev.xls | title = Απογραφή Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2011. ΜΟΝΙΜΟΣ Πληθυσμός | publisher = Hellenic Statistical Authority | language = el }}</ref> || 2,859
|-
| 2021<ref name=census21/> || 2,596
|}

==People==
*[[Aristarchus of Samothrace]] ({{circa|220|143{{nbsp}}BC}}), ancient Greek grammarian and Homeric scholar
*[[Theophanes the Confessor]] ({{circa|758|818}})
*[[Nikolaos Fardys]] (1853–1901), Greek scholar

==See also==
*[[List of settlements in the Evros regional unit]]
*[[Battle of Samothrace (1698)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
*Michel Mourre, ''Dictionnaire Encyclopédique d'Histoire'', article "Samothrace", [[Bordas]], 1996
*Marcel Dunan, ''Histoire Universelle'', [[Éditions Larousse|Larousse]], 1960
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Samothraki}}
{{wikivoyage-inline}}
*[https://samothrace.tsakbam.eu Samothrace travel guide] (in English)
*[http://www.samothraki.gr Official Samothrace webpage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007141511/http://www.samothraki.gr/ |date=2007-10-07 }} (in Greek)
*[https://sites.google.com/view/samothraki/home Samothraki Visitor Information Website] (in English)
*[https://www.samothrakigreece.com/ Samothraki Travel Portal] (in English, Greek, and German)

{{Aegean Sea}}
{{Eastern Macedonia and Thrace}}
{{Second Journey of Paul of Tarsus}}
{{Prefectures and provinces of Greece}}
{{Stato da Mar}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Samothrace| ]]
[[Category:Islands of Greece]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace]]
[[Category:Provinces of Greece]]
[[Category:Landforms of Evros (regional unit)]]
[[Category:Islands of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace]]
[[Category:Populated places in Evros (regional unit)]]
[[Category:North Aegean islands]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Greece]]
[[Category:Ionian colonies in Thrace]]
[[Category:Samian colonies]]
[[Category:Members of the Delian League]]
[[Category:Thracian Sea]]
[[Category:Territories of the Republic of Venice]]
[[Category:Territories of the Republic of Genoa]]
[[Category:Hellenic Navy bases]]
[[Category:Populated places in the ancient Aegean islands]]