Heraion of Samos

The Heraion of Samos was a large sanctuary to the goddess Hera, on the island of Samos, Greece, 6 km southwest of the ancient city of Samos [1]. It was located in the low, marshy basin of the Imbrasos river, near where it enters the sea [1]. The late Archaic temple in the sanctuary was the first of the gigantic free-standing Ionic temples, but its predecessors at this site reached back to the Geometric Period of the 8th century BC, or earlier, and there is evidence of cult activities on the site from c. 1700 BC onwards [1]. The Sacred Way was a road running from the city of Samos to the sanctuary, which was first laid out around 600 BC [1]. A large number of monumental statues and statuary groups were dedicated in the sanctuary, mainly in the sixth century BC [1].