Samicum
37°32′02″N 21°35′55″E / 37.53384°N 21.59852°E Samicum or Samikon (
History
From its situation commanding this pass, it is probable that a city existed here from the earliest times; and it was therefore identified with the
Samicum was occupied by the
Near Samicum upon the coast was a celebrated temple of the Samian Poseidon, surrounded by a grove of wild olives. It was the centre of the religious worship of the six Triphylian cities, all of whom contributed to its support. It was under the superintendence of Macistus, the most powerful of the Triphylian cities.[7] In a corrupt passage of Strabo this temple is said to be 100 stadia equidistant from Lepreum and the "Annius" (τοῦ Ἀννίου);[8] for the latter name we ought to read Alpheius and not Anigrus, as some editors have done.[9]
In the neighbourhood of Samicum there were celebrated medicinal springs, which were said to cure cutaneous diseases. Of the two lagoons which now stretch along the coast, the larger, which extends as far as the mouth of the Alpheius, begins at the northern foot of the hill upon which Samicum stands; the southern extends along the precipitous sides of the hill, which were called in antiquity the Achaean rocks. These two caves are still visible in the rocks; but they are now accessible only by a boat, as they are immediately above the surface of the lake. General Gordon, who visited these caverns in 1835, found in one of them water distilling from the rock, and bringing with it a pure yellow sulphur.
Modern location
The ruins of Samicum are found at Kleidi Hill near Kato Samiko.[13][14] The ruined walls are 6 feet (2 m) thick, and about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in circumference. They are of the second order of Hellenic masonry, and are evidently of great antiquity. The towers towards the sea belong to a later age.
Archaeology
The remains found on Kleidi Hill include
To the east of this hill is Elliniko Hill, where the Classical acropolis was, which was used since the 4th century BCE until
In 2023, archaeologists discovered the remains of an early temple-like structure that was located within the site of the sanctuary of Poseidon and was quite possibly dedicated to the god.[18]
References
- ^ Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.591, 11.723.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. viii. pp. 346, 347. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "5.3". Description of Greece. Vol. 5. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "6.1". Description of Greece. Vol. 5. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "6.1". Description of Greece. Vol. 5. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ Polybius. The Histories. Vol. 4.77, 80.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. viii. pp. 344, 346, 347. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. viii. pp. 344. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Samicum". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. viii. p. 347. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. viii. p. 347. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "5.7". Description of Greece. Vol. 5. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library. et seq.
- ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
- ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. 8.3.20. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ^ Page of the Ministry of Culture of Greece: Kato Samico (history) (in Greek)
- ISBN 84-249-2298-0.
- ^ Mainz University contributes to recent discovery of the temple of Poseidon located at the Kleidi site near Samikon in Greece
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Samicum". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.