Héraion, Sámos

The original altar by the willow tree was followed by others. The seventh was the altar by the sculptor Rhoikos (ca. 550 B.C.; partly rebuilt), which in size and magnificence was surpassed only by the great altar of Zeus at Pergamon.

To the west of the altar at Heraion is the temple of Hera. The modest wooden Temple I (first half of eighth century B.C.) and Temple II (after 670 B.C.) were succeeded by a colossal stone structure, Temple III, built by Rhoikos and Theodoros in 570-550 B.C. This covered an area 105m/345ft by 52.5m/172ft and had a double peristyle of Ionic columns 18m/60ft high, 104 in all. Soon afterwards this temple was destroyed, and Polykrates thereupon commissioned a replacement, Temple IV. Covering an area 112.2m/368ft by 55.16m/181ft, this was the largest temple ever designed by Greek architects, but - like other gigantic Ionic temples - it remained unfinished. Nothing of this temple now survives except its massive foundations and a single column. Finally, a small peripteral temple of 4 x 6 columns was built close to the altar to house the cult image.The high water-table made excavation difficult, but the work of E. Buschor and his successors has made it possible to follow the development of the sanctuary in detail. In 1963, the excavators even brought to light the remains of the ancient willow tree. Near the site of the temples is the apse of an Early Christian church. To see some of the other remains in the area - including the basin in which the image of Hera was annually bathed - it is necessary to have either a knowledgeable guide or a good plan of the site.The return to Sámos town is either via Pythagórion or by way of the island's medieval capital, Khóra (7.5km/4.5mi from the Heraion), and Mytilíni (10.5km/6.5mi; pop. 5,000).