Samos Enjoys Egyptian Queen Cleopatra’s Stamp of Approval

It was in 32 BC, prior to setting off to war with Octavius, that Cleopatra and her beloved husband Marc Antony spent an extravagant few weeks indulging on Samos and surprising local residents with their appetite for celebration.

Cleopatra, last Queen of independent Egypt,was a stunning woman whose Persian blood left her with a dark complexion and luxurious long hair which, it is said, she dyed a copper colour using henna. Born on January 13, 69 B.C., Cleopatra’s animated life took her through a series of four husbands before it ended abruptly at the age of 39 when she took her own life. Many a legend has sprung from the exotic and lavish existence of this renowned Queen, but a sure truth among the myths is that Cleopatra spent a period of time relaxing and indulging on the island of Samos with her long-haired, wealthy and influential husband, Roman leader Marc Antony.

Cleopatra first met Marc Antony when she was a young girl, not realizing at the time that this powerful character would eventually become her fourth husband. After knowing him for a few years, Cleopatra married Antony around 35 B.C. when she was 34 years old - even though at the time he was also married to another woman, named Flavia. Together, Cleopatra and Antony had a pair of twins and another child.

In 32 B.C., war was declared upon Egypt and Antony prepared his army for battle. Commissioning a fleet of ships, he and his queen set sail with their flotilla, anchoring at Samos for some time as they waited for the arrival of reinforcements and for the completion of various other arrangements for battle.

Their stay on this Greek island paradise was no humble affair and, as their fleet lay moored in the lapping Mediterranean waters, its leader and his Queen let their plans for battle lie redundant as they idled their days away indulging in festivities, games, revellings and in every kind of excess. Accordingly, an immense company of players, tumblers, fools, jesters and mountebanks were ordered to assemble at Samos and to devote themselves with all zeal and grandeur to the amusement of Antony’s court.

The whole island became a hive of excess and revelry and local people were astonished at such celebrations and displays, wholly unsuitable in their eyes for such an occasion. If such are the rejoicings prior to battle, they thought, what festivities will Antony indulge in upon his return, should he be victorious? Eventually it was to be that, after a time, Antony and Cleopatra, with a magnificent train of attendants in trail, left Samos, and, passing across the Aegean Sea, landed in Greece, and advanced on to Athens. This infamous couple’s visit to Samos may only have lasted for a number of months and weeks, however it has gone down in history. Samos has undoubtedly been given the seal of approval by this exotic, influential and renowned romantic pair.