Person

Polycrates

d. 522 BCE · 6th century BCE · Also known as Polycrates of Samos

Polycrates was tyrant of Samos from about 538 to 522 BCE. With a fleet of a hundred penteconters and a thousand archers he made Samos the leading naval power of the Aegean, raiding widely and allying first with Amasis of Egypt and then with Cambyses II of Persia. He built the Tunnel of Eupalinos, the harbour mole and the great temple of Hera, and hosted poets such as Anacreon, before the Persian satrap Oroetes had him killed.

Polycrates
Image: AnonymousUnknown author Published in 1890 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

SamosMilitary, Governance, Impact, Decline, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

SamosKydonia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Polycrates. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polycrates
MLA
“Polycrates.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polycrates. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Polycrates.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polycrates.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Polycrates’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/polycrates (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻