The Dodecanese Islands

The Dodecanese island complex, located in the southeastern Aegean sea, encompasses a dozen large islands – with the term Dodecanese translating as ‘twelve islands’ – and many smaller ones. Our tour will explore these islands’ history and the array of important archaeological finds on Samos, Patmos, Kos and Rhodes.

In Athens we will explore the Acropolis Museum, established to house findings from the neighbouring Acropolis and boasting striking views of the Parthenon. Our first island stay is Samos, ancient home to Pythagoras, Aristarchus and Epicurus. The island was an important centre of trade in the Aegean, once boasting a major naval force. 

Highlights include the Pythagoreion, Samos’ ancient fortified port, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Heraion, the Temple of Samian Hera. We will explore archaeological museums and the hilltop Lykourgos Castle, as well as the famous Tunnel of Efpalinion – over 1000 metres in length, and once part of an ancient aqueduct.

On the sacred island of Patmos, we will explore the Cave of the Apocalypse, believed to be the site where Saint John received the visions that he then recorded in the Book of Revelation. The fortress-like 11th century monastery of Agios Ioannis overlooks the whitewashed houses of the hilltop capital, Chora.

Kos has a long and interesting history: it has been continuously inhabited since the early Helladic period. The island’s Asklepieion, an ancient medical centre built after the death of Hippocrates, who was born on Kos, dates from the 3rd century BC. In Kos, we will also explore the old town with its Ottoman mosques, and view the Art Deco buildings that speak of the island’s Italian occupation in the 20th century.

In Rhodes, we will explore the medieval town and the Acropolis, which dates from the classical Greek period and contains the remains of an ancient stadium. We will finish our tour with an excursion to Lindos: once three powerful cities of ancient Rhodes.

We will stay throughout in hotels of three and four-star quality.

Please note the itinerary below represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some details may be subject to change. 

This tour will be led by Andrew Wilson, BA, BD, FSAScot. Andrew studied archaeology then theology before working overseas as an archaeologist, specialising in Roman frontier systems and Byzantine mosaics. Andrew is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Classical Association of Scotland, as well as a member of the Hadrianic Society. He has led many tours for ACE in the Greco-Roman world, and will be taking this brand new tour of the Dodecanese Islands for the first time in 2018.