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A monumental column was dedicated to him in front to
the large stoa of the upper terrace by the Macedonians
by 200 BC. It was very probably during one of these
episodes that the monumental fountain containing a
ship's prow of limestone and the famous Winged Victory
were built (cf. photograph and site plan number 9).
This could actually be a dedication from Rhodes
rather than Macedon, as analysis of the limestone used
for the prow and the type of vessel indicated that it
came from Rhodes.
The sanctuary became the final refuge for the last
king of Macedon, Perseus of Macedon, who went to the
island after his defeat at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC
and was there arrested by the Romans.
Fascination with mystery religion aroused a
continuing interest in the site though the 17th and 18th
centuries. Following the spectacular discovery of the
Victory statue - now in the Louvre - by French consul
Charles Champoiseau (posted to Adrianople) in 1863, the
French team of Deville and Coquart carried out the first
archeological explorations of the site in 1866.
The Austrian A. Conze was next to explore the site in
1873 and 1876: he cleared the Ptolémaion and the stoa,
and carried out some superficial digs at the Hiéron, the
Arsinoéion as well as the Temenos.
This work was published in two rich volumes of a
quality tremendous for their time. In accordance with an
agreement with the Turkish government, the Austrians
shared their discoveries: numerous architectural
fragments went to the Kunsthistorisches Museum ofVienna,
while others where sent to Gallipoli and then on to the
Archeological Museum of Istanbul — part of this material
unfortunately disappeared during transport.
Champoiseau returned in 1891 to look for the blocks
which formed the ship's prow upon which Victory had been
installed in Paris, and at this time discovered the
theatre.
The École française d'Athènes and the University of
Prague (Salač and Chapouthier) also carried out joint
work between 1923 and 1927, before the Institute of Fine
Arts (at New York University) started their first
excavations in 1938, which uncovered the Anaktoron.
Interrupted by the war, during which time the site
suffered greatly as a result of Bulgarian occupation,
they returned in 1948 and continue to the present. In
1956 a partial reconstruction (anastylosis) of the
Hiéron facade was carried out.
Samothrace temple complex - Index
Samothrace temple complex - Index |
