The early Greek historian Hecataeus wrote that Amisos was formerly called Enete, the place mentioned in Homer's Iliad.

In Book II, Homer says that the ἐνετοί (Enetoi) inhabited Paphlagonia on the southern coast of the Black Sea in the time of the Trojan War (c. 1200 BC).

Samsun (then known as Amisos, Greek Αμισός, alternative spelling Amisus) was settled in about 760–750 BC by Ionians from Miletus,[9] who established a flourishing trade relationship with the ancient peoples of Anatolia.

[10] Amisus was settled by the Ionian Milesians in the 6th century BC,[11] it is believed that there was significant Greek activity along the coast of the Black Sea, although the archaeological evidence for this is very fragmentary.

[7] In the 5th century BC, Amisus became a free state and one of the members of the Delian League led by the Athenians;[14] it was then renamed Peiraeus under Pericles.

[11] Its function as a commercial metropolis in northern Asia Minor was a contributing factor to enable the spread of Christian influence.

[27] In the 13th century the Franciscans had a convent at Amisus, which became a Latin bishopric some time before 1345, when its bishop Paulus was transferred to the recently conquered city of Smyrna and was replaced by the Dominican Benedict, who was followed by an Italian Armenian called Thomas.

The land around the town mainly produced tobacco, with its own type being grown in Samsun, the Samsun-Bafra, which the British described as having "small but very aromatic leaves", and commanding a "high price.

Instead of obeying the orders of the Ottoman government, then under the control of the occupying Allies, he and a number of colleagues declared the beginning of the Turkish national movement.

[41] Samsun entered into a period of economic and population recovery in the years after the establishment of the Republic and quickly restored its status as a vital Black Sea port for Turkey.

The construction of the university was a major development to the region, bringing a highly regarded and well-funded educational institution and state hospital to Samsun.

Neighboring Atakum, a suburb to the west of the city center was established in 2008 with the merger of Atakent, Kurupelit, Altınkum, Çatalçam and Taflan towns into one municipality.

In 2013, Piazza Samsun a 160 store shopping mall, the largest in the Central Black Sea region, opened in the city center.

Gökdelen Towers is now the tallest building in the Samsun region and representative of a recent trend towards high-rise residential housing.

Under the leadership of Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Demir, the Samsun regional government has undertaken several major transportation and housing development projects in the city center.

It is located at the end of an ancient route from Cappadocia: the Amisos of antiquity lay on the headland northwest of the modern city center.

The city is growing fast: land has been reclaimed from the sea and many more apartment blocks and shopping malls are currently being built.

During the Tanzimat period and the subsequent wars, Ottoman Muslims were exiled from the Balkans[50] and Circassians were expelled from the Caucasus region.

Today, 6 of the 9 deputies of Samsun's delegation to the Turkish Grand National Assembly are members of right-wing parties with the exception of those from Atakum.

[57][58] Air pollution is a problem in some parts of the city, especially in winter when free coal is supplied to poor families by the government.

[59] Samsun like many Ottoman Empire cities was composed of stone mosques, baths, markets and government buildings while the residential vernacular was almost exclusively wood.

As the region has modernized, the Turkish government has made a full force effort to replace gecekondu with formally designed and built housing.

Freight trains are taken by ferry to railways at Kavkaz in Russia, and will later see service to the port of Varna in Bulgaria and Poti in Georgia.

It is possible to reach the airport by Havas service buses: they depart from the coach park close to Kultur Sarayi in the city center.

[65] The privately operated port fronting the city centre handles freight, including RORO ferries to Novorossiysk, whereas fishing boats land their catches in a separate harbour slightly further east.

Road and rail freight connections with central Anatolia can be used to send inland both the agricultural produce of the surrounding well rained upon and fertile land, and also imports from overseas.

Should they become surplus to military requirements in future, for example due to reduced conscription in Turkey, it is currently unclear whether they would become urban open space or be further built on.

In ancient Roman times gladiator sword fighting[90] apparently took place in Amisos, as depicted on a tombstone dating from the 2nd or 3rd century CE.

Football is the most popular sport: in the older districts above the city center children often kick balls around in the evenings in the smallest streets.

Basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, cable skiing (in summer), horse riding, go karting, paintballing, martial arts and many other sports are played.