Sites and artifacts
In the south end of the island is Pythagorion, built among the ruins of the ancient city of Samos . Just beyond Pythagorion is the Aquaduct of Efpalineon, a great engineering accomplishment in the years the tyrant Polycratis ruled the island. Ireon is not far away where ruins of the Temple of Hera dating back to 2500 b.c. still stand to this day.
The Altar of Samos was the Ionic place of worship of the goddess Hera. According to mythology ,Hera was born and raised in this area.
In the center of Samos town, there are two buildings that constitute the Archeological Museum . The older building dates back to 1912 and the new building started operating in 1987. There is a sizable collection of ancient sculptures and artifacts of ceramic bronze, ivory and wood.
The Efpalinio tunnel, named after its designer an engineer named Efpalino was constructed in 6 b.c. under the tyrannical rule of Polycrates. The length of the tunnel is 1026 meters penetrating through the mountain. The purpose of this tunnel was to supply the Pythagorian residents with fresh water from a natural spring located on the other side of the island, in Mytilinii. The tunnel was dug from each direction by two separate crews. What makes this engineering project unique is that Efpalino ' s precise calculations resulted in a minimal difference of just a few meters at the meeting point of the two holes. A true breakthrough for engineering technology. The tunnel is situated 2 kilometers from Pythagorion.
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