An island in the northeastern Aigean Sea; formerly known as Samos.
Poseidon, lord of the sea, sat atop the highest point of Samos to watch the events on the battlefield at Troy. He could clearly see Mount Ida, Troy, and the Achaian ships. Achilles took Trojan captives to Samos to sell as slaves.
The geographer Strabo (early first century CE) speculated that the island got its name because the word samoi meant "of the heights" thus giving Poseidon his vantagepoint.
The island eventually assumed the name Samothrace to differentiate it from Samos in the Ionian Sea.
