Heraion of Samos

Hera was said to have been born on Samos under a willow by the Imbrasos river, and her sanctuary here grew into one of the largest in Greece. The temple begun under Polycrates around 530 BC was planned on a colossal scale, with a double row of columns, well over a hundred of them, on a platform some 108 by 55 metres, and it was never finished. Today a single column stands to about half its original height above the foundations, with the drums of others lying where they fell, an altar, a sacred way that ran to Pythagoreion, and the outlines of smaller temples and stoas. The setting is flat and often marshy, with reeds and the sea close by, and the emptiness makes the scale of the platform easier to read than a crowded site would.

What you actually see

• The lone column - a single surviving shaft on the great platform.
• The temple foundations - the outline of one of the largest Greek temples.
• The altar and sacred way - the ritual axis running toward the ancient city.
• The plain setting - reeds, river and sea around the sanctuary.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the site is flat, treeless and hot in summer, and mosquitoes gather near the marsh at dusk. Morning light is best for the column.

Honest expectations

There is very little standing, and visitors expecting a temple find a field of foundations with one column. Signage is limited. The site is quiet, which suits it, and the visit takes about an hour.

Nearby

Pythagoreion lies 6 km east; the Eupalinos tunnel is on the hill between them.