Temple of Heraion

Heraion is a large dipteric Ionian temple dedicated to the goddess Era, located in the southern part of the island of Samos, near the town of Pythagorion. The temple is defined of the dipterous type as it is surrounded by a double row of columns.

The ruins of the Heraion of Samos were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.

The myth

According to Greek mythology in the 8th century BC a priestess moved to Samos from the city of Argos, with the specific aim of increasing the cult for the goddess Hera and, with the help of the Aboriginal population, had a first sanctuary built.

History

Initially the sanctuary designed by the architect Rhoecus was formed by very simple structures, but starting from 670 a more precise physiognomy began to emerge. The first building dating from the 8th century BC it was called hekatompedon (100-foot temple) and had a very elongated appearance. In fact, it measured 32 m (100 feet) in length and only about 6.50 m in width. The cell, which contained the statue of the goddess, was divided into two parts by a central row of columns that supported the roof and the statue was placed laterally. Towards the end of the same century, at the point of transition between the geometric age and the Orientalizing period, the central core of the temple was surrounded by a further row of columns.

This first building was rebuilt for the first time in 670 BC, probably following a flood and a row of columns was removed from the cell, which partially hid the view of the statue of the goddess, placed on the bottom. Around 640 BC a porch over 60 m long was added, divided into three naves by two parallel series of wooden pillars. Between 570 and 560 BC, the temple was moved to the west and rebuilt over an area twelve times larger than that of the previous building. The architects who designed the new Heraion, according to the writings of Vitruvius, were Reco and Teodoro di Samos. The temple was really impressive for the time, it boasted 104 columns arranged in two rows. In front of the temple was the altar rebuilt around 550 BC

Around 530 BC unfortunately the Herion collapsed following an earthquake and in the same place a new temple was rebuilt, even larger than the previous one.

The new Heraion, built by Policrate who ruled Samos until 522 BC, measured 108x55 meters and had a remarkable pronaos, surmounted by a square-shaped roof, behind which a closed cell was set.

The different construction phases of the Heraion were identified also thanks to the dating of the materials found in the sanctuary area. The remains of the roof were not found, therefore it is assumed that the Heraion has never been completed. Some documents report that from the year 391 some materials were taken from the site to be reused in the construction of other works.

Among the most important finds from the sanctuary of Hera are: the colossal kouros statues and the "Gheneleos Group" both from the mid-sixth century BC. and kept in the Archaeological Museum of Samos. We also remember the statues of the two korai (young women) of Cheramyes dated 570-560 BC. which are kept respectively in the Louvre museum in Paris (Hera of Cheramyes) and in Berlin (Aphrodite of Cheramyes). Unfortunately, only one column remains of the imposing Heraion, which stands for about half of the original height. The archaeological excavation campaigns carried out to bring it to light began during the early 1700s and continue today.

Entrance to the archaeological site costs € 6