bgr_952500 - IONIA - IONIAN ISLANDS - SAMOS Drachme

IONIA - IONIAN ISLANDS - SAMOS

(5th century BC)

The town of Samos was located southeast of the island of Samos. She joined the League of Delos as soon as it was created in 478/477 BC. Her contribution consisted in providing ships for the League. Samos revolted against the Athenian hegemony in 441-440 BC and Pericles came to besiege the city which did not surrender until 439 BC. During the Peloponnesian War, Samos was the main naval base athenian. In 411 BC, the Samians remained faithful to democracy after the Coup of the 400s in Athens. Rhodes, founded in 409 BC, will now be its greatest rival. When Athens fell, Sparta replaced it. In 390 BC, the Spartan fleet was captured by the Athenians. After the Peace of the Great King (Antalcidas), in 387 BC, the city found a certain prosperity. A second league was reconstituted in 378-377 BC, but in 365 BC, Thimothée seized Samos and replaced the inhabitants with a cleruchy (Athenian colony). Pythagoras was of Samian descent.