Famous People of Samos
Many famous people have their roots on Samos. For example, the astronomer Aristarchos, who was the first to argue that the sun was the centre of the universe. Or the philosopher Epicurus, who became famous with his ethic of individual pleasure. And lost but not least the fable writer Aesop (i.e. The Boy Who Cried Wolf) and of course Pythagoras, the great filosopher – mathematician. He gave his name to the village of Pythagorion and today, you can still visit the cave in the mountains where Pythagoras is said to have hidden from the Tyrant Polycrates.
Pythagoras of Samos
Remember Pythagoras? The one from Math at school who made you calculate triangles? He was born right here on Samos and lived from 570 – 495 BCE. Pythagoras left Samos at the age of 40.
Pythagoras is one of the most fascinating figures of the ancient world—not just because of the famous Pythagorean Theorem, but because of the mix of math, philosophy, science, and even spirituality in his teachings known as Pythagoreanism.
Pythagorean Theorem
His most famous work is the revolutionary Pythagorean Theorem, (a² + b² = c²). This formula lets you calculate the length of any side of a right-angled triangle if you know the lengths of the other two sides. His works made him an integral part of our intellectual heritage.
Divine numbers
Pythagoras believed that everything in the universe could be explained with numbers. To him, numbers weren’t just tools—they were divine. He thought certain numbers had special meanings (like 10 being the “perfect number”) and that the universe itself was built on mathematical relationships.
The Connection between Music & Math
One of Pythagoras’ biggest discoveries was in music. He noticed that strings of different lengths produced different musical notes, and that those differences could be described using simple math ratios. This led to the idea of harmony in both music and the cosmos – which he called the “music of the spheres.”
The Semi-Circle
When he left Samos at the age of 40, he founded a school with a holistic approach in Crotona (southern Italy) called “The Semi-Circle”. His students had to follow strict rules: no eating beans (seriously), no touching white chickens, and always respect silence. They were taught mathematics alongside character development and self-discipline. He also taught metempsychosis, (the transmigration of souls), which states that every soul is immortal and enters into a new body after death. He may have also devised the doctrine of musica universalis, which holds that the planets move according to mathematical equations and thus resonate to produce an inaudible symphony of music.
Reincarnation of the soul
Pythagoras taught that the soul was eternal and moved from body to body in a cycle called metempsychosis. He was a vegetarian because he believed animals could have human souls. It’s said he once told someone to stop hitting a dog because he heard the soul of a friend in its bark! Legend also says Pythagoras could talk to animals and control the wind with music.
On Samos his presence can still be found in the name of the village Pythagorion, his statue in the harbour and in Pythagoras Cave on Mount Kerkis, where he used to hide from his enemies.
Aesop the Fable writer
Aesop lived from 620–564 BCE and was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as Aesop’s Fables. According to Aristotle and Herodotus, Aesop was a slave in Samos who was eventually freed when he argued as an advocate for a wealthy Samian. There is not much clear on his life and most of his works have been destroyed. Still there are many tales credited to him in a storytelling tradition that continues to this day. Many of the tales associated with him are characterised by anthropomorphic animal characters.
Wisdom for Everyday Life
Aesop didn’t write big books or give speeches. Instead, he told fables—short, simple stories where animals act like people. These stories always had a moral lesson. Some of the most famous ones include:
The Tortoise and the Hare – Slow and steady wins the race.
The Boy Who Cried Wolf – Don’t lie, or no one will believe you when it matters.
The Fox and the Grapes – It’s easy to hate what you can’t have.
Aesop’s fables were meant for everyone, teaching lessons about pride, greed, honesty, and kindness. His tales were short but powerful—fun to hear, easy to remember, and packed with meaning.
The fables were eventually written down by ancient writers and became a key part of Western literature. They’ve been translated into hundreds of languages and are still taught today—proof that good stories never get old.
Aesop may be a mystery, but his stories are timeless. He showed that wisdom doesn’t need big words or long speeches—just a clever fox, a lazy lion, or a tiny ant can teach us all something important.
Epicurus of Samos
Epicurus was one of the more interesting Greek philosophers from ancient Greece and a sage. He lived from 341–270 BCE and was born on Samos.
The Garden
He grew up on the island before moving to Athens, where he started his own school of philosophy, turning against the ruling Platonism of his time. He called it “The Garden”—a place where people of all backgrounds could gather to talk, learn, and live simply. His school became a highly influential school of philosophy.
Epicurus and his followers were known for their simple way of live, their open-mindedness for their era and the broad range of philosophical subjects they discussed. He openly allowed women and slaves to join the school as a matter of policy.
Epicureanism
Epicurus believed the goal of life was happiness. For him, happiness meant peace of mind, freedom from fear, and a simple life filled with friendship and calm. In “The Garden,” people ate simply, talked philosophy, and supported one another. It was one of the first places where women and slaves could join in philosophical life.
He taught that we should enjoy life, but wisely. Eat good food? Yes. But don’t overdo it. He also believed knowledge helped people overcome fear—especially fear of the gods and death. His famous advice was: “Don’t fear the gods. Don’t worry about death. What is good is easy to get, and what is terrible is easy to endure.”
Misunderstood by Many
Some people thought Epicurus was all about pleasure and parties—so much so that the word “epicurean” today often means someone who loves fine food and drink. But that’s not quite right! He actually warned against chasing too much pleasure, because it could lead to pain later.
His Ideas Live On
Epicurus wrote over 300 books, though only fragments survive today. His ideas had a huge impact on later thinkers, including Roman philosophers and modern scientists. He even inspired people during the Enlightenment.
Epicurus might not be as famous as some others, but his message is still powerful today: live simply, think clearly, and enjoy the small things in life.
Aristarchos of Samos
Aristarchos was an Ancient astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, who was born on Samos and lived from 310 – c. 230 BCE. He studied in Alexandria, which was one of the greatest learning centers in the ancient world. He is not as well-known as Pythagoras or Epicurus, but he was way ahead of his time! So much so, he’s sometimes called the “ancient Copernicus.”
He Put the Sun in the Middle
Aritarchos is considered one of the greatest astronomers of antiquity. He was the first known person to suggest that the Earth moves around the Sun—not the other way around. This is called the heliocentric model, and he came up with it nearly 1,800 years before Copernicus! This model placed the Sun at the center of the universe and the Earth revolving around the Sun once a year and rotating about its own axis once a day.
Most people back then believed the Earth was the center of everything. Aristarchos looked at the size and distance of the Sun and Moon, did some math, and realised it made more sense if the Sun was at the center.
He also created two sundials; a flat disk and a hemispherical sundial.
A Visionair Before His Time
Unfortunately, his ideas were ignored or even mocked by most scholars of his time. The Earth-centered model stayed popular for centuries. But today, scientists recognize Aristarchos as one of the first people to think scientifically about space.
Math ands Observation
Besides astronomy, Aristarchos worked on geometry and measurements. He tried to figure out the size of the Moon and Sun using just math and observation—with no telescopes! His estimates weren’t perfect, but they were surprisingly close for the tools he had.
Legacy
Only one of his works survives, called “On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon”. Even though he wasn’t fully appreciated in his own time, today he’s remembered as a pioneer of astronomy. Some even say he helped lay the foundation for modern science.
