Terraces, known on Samos as “dry stone terraces” is the solution given by the islanders to the problems of soil erosion and lack of arable land.

From very early (French and Whitelaw 1999, Price and Nixon 2005) and according to some researchers even from the “Iron Age”, (Barker et al. 1995, Grove and Rackham 2002), terraces were used for the cultivation of olives, cereals and in viticulture (Grove and Rackham 2002, Kizos and Koulouri 2004). A typical example of the struggle for the creation of agricultural land is the construction of terraces even for individual crops (Petanidou et al. 2001).
Due to the mountainous configuration and the large slopes of the ground on the island of Samos, the need for the construction of many thousands of square meters of dry stone walls was created from the beginning of agricultural cultivation. Viticulture on the terraces (“dry stone terraces”) is a particularly difficult and arduous traditional viticulture practice. Indicatively, in order for a vineyard to be planted on Samos, it must “stremmatisti”, that is, it must be cleared and terraces (“dry-stone terraces”) must be built to retain the soil, which is usually sloping. Its construction, reconstruction and maintenance are done manually and requires the skills of a specialized craftsman.

Terraces are defined as the relatively flat surfaces created on sloping agricultural land with the construction of stonework (dry stone). Their construction is done by digging the ground above the point where the terrace will be constructed and by building a triangular wall against the slope, which, as it is constructed, is filled with the soil that has been dug. Digging begins from the edge of the lower part of the field. The basic tools are manual even in cases where it is currently possible to use a small excavator. Indicatively, we mention the “hoe” (different types depending on the type of soil), the “sledgehammer” for the stones, the “trahas” (saw) and the “axe” for the branches, etc. The worker digs, selects and separates the stones. With the big ones, he lays the foundation and builds the walls. He uses the small ones as filling material or piles them up at the edge of the field (“armakades”). Each terrace in the Samian vineyard, each “dry stone wall” has its personality, its individual characteristics. There was the “lower”, the “wide”, the “sharp”, the “terrace”, the “straight” terrace. The particular characteristics of each field gives them a distinct shape, width.

Their role is multiple and mainly consists of utilizing sloping areas for cultivation, retaining the soil and protecting it from erosion, retaining rainwater, stopping surface runoff and enriching the underground aquifer. Thus, special conditions are formed for many species of insects and reptiles and the traditional landscape is preserved.

The abandonment of the use of terraces as a consequence of the high maintenance – reconstruction costs would result in the destruction of a large part of these dry stone structures, but also of the traditional Samian Vineyard and wine.