Samos

Yet despite the shock of losing major allies and facing coordinated opposition on multiple fronts, Athens proved surprisingly resilient.

Samos remained firmly in Athenian hands, revolts everywhere were contained, and Athenian fleets continued to fight with a determination that flew in the face of the contempt that the Spartans and Peloponnesians had displayed towards Athens before the expedition got underway.

By the end of the year, neither side had achieved the decisive breakthrough it wanted.

Sparta had gained revolting allies and Persian backing, but not the naval dominance it sought.

With Alcibiades now in Persia's confidence, let's quickly turn back to the events on the ground in the closing months of 412 BC.

The majority of the Peloponnesian fleet would remain in the harbour of Miletus, still not confident in sailing out to force a decisive naval engagement with the Athenians.

Athens by this stage was able to gather together 104 ships, which they would operate from their port on Samos.

They would set out fleets on various missions through the Aegean, with it appearing they had kept control of the waters since no enemy fleets came to challenge their movements.

Yana's place, do not add mister in the name, he does not like it, is perhaps the most popular taverna in Samos, a former coffee house tucked away on Likurgu Logotheti pedestrian street in Vathi, Chora, behind the seafront.

The kind of place you would probably walk straight past if it weren't for the crowds flocking there.

A scene we witnessed with our own eyes after being drawn in by Gemini's enthusiastic recommendation and all the online guides.

But after a friendly chat with the owner, a former blacksmith who was forced to change careers at the age of 50 after a health problem and who casually ended up creating the hottest place on the island, he squeezed in a table for us in the passageway.

We had heard plenty about this particular place and the atmosphere created by its live music, but nothing had prepared us for the most unforgettable Greek-Turkish feast of our lives.

With Kusadasa just a stone's throw away, Samos is one of the favorite destinations for Turkish visitors, who arrive in their thousands on private boats or ferries and fill every hotel, Airbnb, beach, and taverna on the island.

Yannis Place is a hotspot because the excellent house band performs Greek songs, Turkish songs, Greek versions of Turkish songs and Turkish versions of Greek songs, bringing the mixed crowd to life.

After two hours and several carafts of the famous Samos white wine, we had all become one big group, dancing to the sounds of Teli Teli Teli and other hits by Haris Alexiou, who, as everyone knows, is beloved by our neighbors.

All mountain peaks and high headlands of lofty hills and rivers flowing out to the deep, and beaches sloping seawards, and havens of the sea are your delight.

Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to be the joy of men, as she rested against Mount Cynthus in that rocky isle, in sea-girt Delos, while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwards driven by shrill winds, whence arising you rule over all mortal men? Among those who are in Crete, and in the township of Athens, and in the isle of Aegina in Euboea, famous for ships; in Aegae and Aresaie and Paparathus near the sea; in Thracian Athos and Pelion's towering heights and Thracian Samos and the shady hills of Ida; in Syros and Phocaea and the high hill of Otocaene; and fair-lying Imbros and smoldering Lemnos and rich Lesbos, home of Macar, the son of Aeolus; and Chios, brightest of all the isles that lie in the sea; and craggy Mimas and the heights of Corycus and gleaming Claros and the sheer hill of Isagia and watered Samos and the steep heights of Mycale in Miletus and Cos, the city of Meropian men; and steep Cnidos and windy Carpathos, in Naxos and Paros and rocky Rheneia.

So far roamed Leto in travail with the god who shoots afar, to see if any land would be willing to make a dwelling for her son.

But they greatly trembled and feared, and none, not even the richest of them, dared receive Phoebus, until queenly Leto set foot on Delos and uttered winged words and asked her, "Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my son, Phoebus Apollo, and make him a rich temple.

He was annoyed by the grandiose manner, the mise-en-scène style of which Plato and his scholars were masters, of which Epicurus was not a master.

He, the old school teacher of Samos, who sat concealed in his little garden at Athens and wrote 300 books, perhaps out of rage and ambitious envy of Plato.

Who knows? Greece took a hundred years to find out who the garden god Epicurus really was.

Did she ever find out? 8.

All mountain peaks and high headlands of lofty hills and rivers flowing out to the deep, and beaches sloping seawards, and havens of the sea are your delight.

Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to be the joy of men, as she rested against Mount Cynthus in that rocky isle in sea-girt Delos, while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwards, driven by shrill winds, whence arising you rule over all mortal men? Among those who are in Crete, and in the township of Athens, and in the isle of Aegina and Euboea, famous for ships, in Aegae and Iresae and Paparathus near the sea, in Thracian Athos and Pelion's towering heights, and Thracian Samos, and the shady hills of Ida, in Syros and Phocaea, and the high hill of Autocane, and fair-lying Imbros, and smouldering Lemnos, and rich Lesbos, home of Makar, the son of Aeolus, and Chios, brightest of all the isles that lie in the sea, and craggy Mimus, and the heights of Coricus, and gleaming Claros, and the sheer hill of Isagia, and watered Samos, and the steep heights of Mycale, in Miletus and Kos, the city of Meropian men, and steep Cnidos, and windy Carpathos, in Naxos and Paros, and rocky Rheneia, so far roamed Leto in travail with the god who shoots afar, to see if any land would be willing to make a dwelling for her son.

But they greatly trembled and feared, and none, not even the richest of them, dared receive Phoebus, until queenly Leto set foot on Delos, and uttered winged words, and asked her, Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my son, Phoebus Apollo, and make him a rich temple.

For no other will touch you, as you will find; and I think you will never be rich in oxen and sheep, nor bear vintage nor yet produce plants abundantly.

But now it is proper to satisfy the inquiry of those that disbelieve the records of barbarians, and think none but Greeks to be worthy of credit, and to produce many of these very Greeks who were acquainted with our nation, and to set before them such as upon occasion have made mention of us in their own writings.

Pythagoras, therefore, of Samos, lived in very ancient times and was esteemed a person superior to all philosophers in wisdom and piety towards God.

Now it is plain that he did not only know our doctrines, but was in very great measure a follower and admirer of them.

There is not indeed extant any writing that is owned for his, but many there are who have written his history, of whom Hermippus is the most celebrated, who was a person very inquisitive into all sorts of history.