Hera's Home

It's hard to imagine a bustling city over 2000 years ago.  Renting a scooter, we headed west from the town of Pythagoria.  Our route took us through the ever-present olive groves as we first went away from and then returned to the ocean.  The ruins of Herion are rumored to be the birthplace of the goddess Hera.  The entrance to the site is along the "Sacred Way" and as we walked, fortunately there were few other tourists, I tried to envision marble statues lining this paved road.

From Greek Ruins

At the end of the Sacred Way, Hera's temple must have dominated the view.  Today, one column remains and it is thought that this column is only half of its original height.  (I think that this is one temple that I would really like to see reconstructed - it must have been massive!)

From Greek Ruins

The site itself is still being uncovered and many of its treasures lie in the archaeological museum in Samos town and the statues currently displayed at Herion are replicas.

kouros (male statue thought to date from the 6th century BC) 

From Greek Ruins

part of the Geneleos Group (the original is in the museum)

From Greek Ruins