Chios–Lesbos–Samos

Abstract

Abstract The poleis on Chios, Lesbos, and Samos attained considerable power and prosperity during the Archaic period. Those poleis had much in common, not least a location that put them on what was at the time the eastern edge of the Greek world, with the attendant opportunities and perils. All three islands were ideal bases for maritime commerce, fell under Persian control, and subsequently participated in the Ionian Rebellion and the Delian League. At the same time, each of the three islands had unique traits and history. Chios was remarkable for its political stability, wealth, and large slave population. Lesbos was wracked by internecine struggle and famed for its poetic tradition. Samos under the tyrant Polycrates built a massive fleet and equally massive temples. The history of the Archaic period looks very different when seen from the eastern Aegean rather than Athens or Sparta, and Chios, Lesbos, and Samos thus merit careful examination in any study of the Archaic Greek world.