Sami was first inhabited during the Early Helladic period as attested by archaeological evidence. The beginning of the creation of the city-state is traced back to the geometric period. Ancient Sami was one of the four cities of Kefalonia and had the eastern part of the island under its governance. Like the other cities (Krani, Pali and Pronni), Sami was independent and autonomous. Sami pursued its foreign policy and had its own bronze and silver coins, featuring the city's monogram and representations of religious beliefs as well as the inhabitants' activities. Its two acropolises, the extensive fortification and the classic city are extended on two hills, at the sites "Paleokastro" and "Agioi Fanentes", which are located east of the contemporary settlement of the same name. Based on a grid plan, the city was built with large building blocks.Its fortification is an admirable architectural example.Its walls include all the masonry systems known today that were applied during the classical and Hellenistic era; the rectangular, the trapezoidal and the polygonal.In 188 BC, after a four-month siege, the city was occupied by the Romans and experienced its second flourishing period.At that time, public buildings, baths and utility works were created, while private houses were very luxurious with rich mosaic floors.Rich and impressive findings were excavated from the four cemeteries of the city.