SAMOS
“hill near the river.”
Island that measures around 128 km in perimeter; It is located off the coast of Asia Minor, south-southwest of Ephesus and almost opposite the Trogilian promontory.
After the defeat of Antiochus the Great by the Romans at Magnesia in 190 BC, Samos became independent (1 Mac. 15:23); It fell into the power of the Romans in 133 BC. along with Pergamon, remaining in the sphere of influence of the latter.
When Paul arrived on the island (Acts 20:15), Samos still enjoyed the autonomy that the Romans had granted it in 17 BC. The inhabitants of Samos were famous for their mercantile ability.