AN EXTRAXCE TO THE FORTRESS AT RHODES 



Photo by Ernest L,. Harris 

 ISLAND OF RHODES 



With the arrival of the Knights of St. John, an interesting period began for Rhodes. 

 This order was founded in Jerusalem in the eleventh century, and after "raanv hardships 

 finally found a home at Rhodes, where it assumed the name" of the Knights of Rhodes. 

 The power of the order was also gradually extended over a number of small neighboring 

 islands, as well as the coast of the mainland (see text, paee 259). 



which has been erected the edifice of 

 modern statecraft, philosophy, science. 

 and art : that this atmosphere once was 

 pervaded with poetic refinement and lit- 

 erary perfection that has called forth the 

 greatest powers of emulation on the part 

 of every nation which has since existed: 

 and that a school of architecture flour- 

 ished here which reared gigantic struc- 

 tures at once the wonder and admiration 

 of the ancient world. 



The island of Samos formed one of 

 the oldest settlements of the Ionians in 

 the Mediterranean, and from this point 

 most of the colonies on the coast of Asia 

 Minor and other parts of the JEgean Sea 

 were established. During the second half 

 of the sixth century B. C. the wisdom 

 and skill of Polycrates won for Samos 

 the first place in the Ionian Union. 



As Tyrant this statesman and poli- 

 tician carried on successful wars with 

 the neighboring islands, and he even 



formed an alliance with Amasis. king of 

 Egypt- Polycrates caused great edifices 

 to be erected, and. on the whole, did 

 much to encourage the fine arts. In the 

 year ^22 B. C. he was decoyed to Mag- 

 nesia* and doomed to a miserable death 

 on the cross by the Persian satrap of that 

 place. 



With the death of this great man the 

 prestige of Samos began to wane, and it 

 gradually sank into insignificance. The 

 island was also the birthplace of the great 

 philosopher Pythagoras. 



Samos came under the yoke, in turn, of 

 the Athenian Greeks. Romans. Byzan- 

 tines, Arabians. Venetians, Genoese, and 

 finally the Turks. In the Greek war of 

 independence Samos fought for Greece 

 and successfully resisted every efiiort on 



* For a description of Magnesia see Na- 

 tional Geographic Magazine. December num- 

 ber. 190S. Vol. XIX. 



243 



