Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a
Greek island in the northern
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the
Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the
North Aegean region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality is
Myrina.
At ,
it is the
8th-largest island of Greece.
Geography

Lemnos is primarily a flat island, but the western region, particularly the northwest, is rocky and mountainous. At 430 meters above sea level, Mount Skopia is the highest point.
The chief towns are
Myrina, on the western coast, and
Moudros on the eastern shore of a large bay in the middle of the island. Myrina (also called Kastro, meaning "castle") possesses a good
harbour
A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
. It is the seat of all trade carried on with the mainland.
Lemnos also has a 7-hectare desert, the
Pachies Ammoudies of Lemnos.
Climate
The climate in Lemnos is mainly
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
(''Csa'').
Winters are generally mild, but with occasional snowfall. Strong winds are a feature of the island, especially in August and during the winter, with a maximum average wind speed of 20.7 km/h in February, hence its nickname "the wind-ridden one" (in Greek, Ανεμόεσσα). The temperature is typically 2 to 5 degrees Celsius less than in
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, especially in summertime.
File:Salt lake 3.jpg, Salt lake of Lemnos
File:Ammothines Lemnos.jpeg, Sand dunes
File:Χορταρολίμνη Λήμνου 2.jpg, Landscape of Chortarolimni
File:Paradisi hill in Lemnos.jpg, Paradisi hill
Mythic Lemnos
For ancient Greeks, the island was sacred to
Hephaestus
Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...
, god of metallurgy, who—as he tells himself in ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...
'' I.590ff—fell on Lemnos when Zeus hurled him headlong out of
Olympus. There, he was cared for by the
Sinties, according to ''Iliad'', or by
Thetis
Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus.
When described as a Nereid in Cl ...
(Apollodorus, ''Bibliotheca'' I:3.5), and there with a Thracian
nymph
A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...
Cabiro (a daughter of
Proteus
In Greek mythology, Proteus ( ; ) is an early prophetic sea god or god of rivers and oceanic bodies of water, one of several deities whom Homer calls the "Old Man of the Sea" (''hálios gérôn''). Some who ascribe a specific domain to Prote ...
) he fathered a tribe called the
Kaberoi. Sacred initiatory rites dedicated to them were performed in the island. Its ancient capital was named
Hephaistia in the god's honour.
Hephaestus' forge, which was located on Lemnos, as well as the name ''Aethaleia'', sometimes applied to it, points to its
volcanic character. It is said that fire occasionally blazed forth from Mosychlos, one of its mountains. The ancient geographer
Pausanias relates that a small island called
Chryse, off the Lemnian coast, was swallowed up by the sea. All volcanic action is now extinct.
The earliest inhabitants are said to have been a Thracian tribe, whom the Greeks called ''
Sintians'', "robbers". The name ''Lemnos'' is said by
Hecataeus to have been applied in the form of a title to
Cybele among the
Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
. The worship of Cybele was characteristic of Thrace, where it had spread from
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
at a very early period. Hypsipyle and Myrina (the name of one of the chief towns) are Amazon names, which are always connected with Asiatic Cybele-worship.
According to the epitome of the ''
Bibliotheca'' traditionally attributed to Apollodorus (''Epitome'' I:9), when
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
found
Ariadne abandoned on
Naxos
Naxos (; , ) is a Greek island belonging to the Cyclades island group. It is the largest island in the group. It was an important centre during the Bronze Age Cycladic Culture and in the Ancient Greek Archaic Period. The island is famous as ...
, he brought her to Lemnos and there fathered
Thoas,
Staphylus,
Oenopion, and Peparethus.
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
in his ''
Natural History
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
'' (xxxvi. 13) speaks of a remarkable
labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...
in Lemnos, which has not been identified in modern times.
According to a Hellenic legend, the women were all deserted by their husbands for Thracian women, and in revenge they murdered every man on the island. From this barbarous act, the expression ''
Lemnian deeds'' became proverbial among the Hellenes. According to
Apollonius of Rhodes
Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Go ...
' ''
Argonautica
The ''Argonautica'' () is a Greek literature, Greek epic poem written by Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only entirely surviving Hellenistic civilization, Hellenistic epic (though Aetia (Callimachus), Callim ...
'' the
Argonauts
The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...
landing soon after found only women in the island, ruled by
Hypsipyle, daughter of the old king Thoas. From the Argonauts and the Lemnian women were descended the race called
Minyans
In Greek mythology, the Minyans or Minyae ( Greek: Μινύες, ''Minyes'') were a group of legendary people who were the inhabitants of the city Orchomenus in Boeotia, and who were also associated with Thessaly. They were named after their ...
, whose king
Euneus, son of
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
and Hypsipyle, sent wine and provisions to the Achaeans at
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
. According to later Greek historians, the Minyans were expelled by a
Pelasgian tribe who came from
Attica
Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...
.
The historical element underlying these traditions is probably that the original Thracian people were gradually brought into communication with the Greeks as navigation began to unite the scattered islands of the Aegean; the Thracian inhabitants were technologically primitive in comparison with the Greek mariners.
In another legend,
Philoctetes was left on Lemnos by the Greeks on their way to Troy; and there he suffered ten years' agony from his wounded foot, until
Odysseus
In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...
and
Neoptolemus induced him to accompany them to Troy. According to
Sophocles
Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...
, he lived beside Mount Hermaeus, which
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...
makes one of the beacon points to flash the news of Troy's downfall home to
Argos.
History
Prehistory
The ruins of the oldest human settlement in the Aegean Islands found so far have been unearthed in archaeological excavations on Lemnos by a team of Greek, Italian and American
archaeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
at the Ouriakos site on the Louri coast of Fyssini in Moudros municipality. The excavation began in early June 2009 and the finds brought to light, consisting mainly of high quality
stone tools, are from the
Epipaleolithic Period, indicating a settlement of
hunters and gatherers and fishermen of the
12th millennium BC.
A rectangular building with a double row of stepped seats on the long sides, at the southwest side of the hill of
Poliochne, dates back to the
Early Bronze Age and was possibly used as a kind of
Bouleuterion.
In August and September 1926, members of the
Italian School of Archaeology at Athens conducted trial excavations on the island. The overall purpose of the excavations was to shed light on the island's pre-Hellenic "Etrusco-Pelasgian" civilization, following the discovery of the "
Lemnos stele", bearing an inscription philologists related to the
Etruscan language
Etruscan ( ) was the language of the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria, in Etruria Padana and Etruria Campana in what is now Italy. Etruscan influenced Latin but was eventually superseded by it. Around 13,000 Etruscan epigraph ...
. The excavations, with then-current political overtones, were conducted on the site of the city of
Hephaistia (i. e., Palaiopolis) where the Pelasgians, according to Herodotus, surrendered to
Miltiades
Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned ...
of Athens in 510 BC, initiating the social and political
hellenization
Hellenization or Hellenification is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language, and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonisation often led to the Hellenisation of indigenous people in the Hellenistic period, many of the ...
of the island. There, a necropolis (ca. 9th–8th centuries BC) was discovered, revealing bronze objects, pots, and over 130
ossuaries. The ossuaries contained distinctly male and female funeral ornaments. Male ossuaries contained knives and axes whereas female ossuaries contained earrings, bronze pins, necklaces, gold-diadems, and bracelets. The decorations on some of the gold objects contained spirals of
Mycenaean origin, but had no Geometric forms. According to their ornamentation, the pots discovered at the site were from the Geometric period. However, the pots also preserved spirals indicative of Mycenaean art. The results of the excavations indicate that the Early Iron Age inhabitants of Lemnos could be a remnant of a Mycenaean population and, in addition, the earliest attested reference to Lemnos is the Mycenaean Greek ''ra-mi-ni-ja'', "Lemnian woman", written in
Linear B
Linear B is a syllabary, syllabic script that was used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest Attested language, attested form of the Greek language. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries, the earliest known examp ...
syllabic script. Professor Della Seta reports:
The lack of weapons of bronze, the abundance of weapons of iron, and the type of the pots and the pins gives the impression that the necropolis belongs to the ninth or eighth century B.C. That it did not belong to a Greek population, but to a population which, in the eyes of the Hellenes, appeared barbarous, is shown by the weapons. The Greek weapon, dagger or spear, is lacking: the weapons of the barbarians, the axe and the knife, are common. Since, however, this population … preserves so many elements of Mycenaean art, the Tyrrhenians or Pelasgians of Lemnos may be recognized as a remnant of a Mycenaean population.
Antiquity
According to Homer, Lemnos was inhabited by the
Sintians. Thucydides mentions
Tyrrhenians
Tyrrhenians (Attic Greek: ''Turrhēnoi'') or Tyrsenians ( Ionic: ''Tursēnoi''; Doric: ''Tursānoi'') was the name used by the ancient Greeks authors to refer, in a generic sense, to non-Greek people, in particular pirates.
While ancient so ...
as the
pre-Greek inhabitants.
Homer
Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
speaks as if there were one town in the island called Lemnos. In Classical times there were two towns,
Myrina (also called Kastro) and
Hephaistia, which was the chief town. Coins from Hephaestia are found in considerable number, and various types including the goddess Athena with her owl, native religious symbols, the caps of the
Dioscuri
Castor and Pollux (or Polydeuces) are twin half-brothers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi.
Their mother was Leda (mythology), Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal ...
,
Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, etc. Few coins of Myrina are known. They belong to the period of Attic occupation, and bear Athenian types. A few coins are also known which bear the name of the whole island, rather than of either city.
A trace of the
Lemnian language is found on a 6th-century inscription on a funerary stele, the
Lemnos stele. Lemnos later adopted the
Attic dialect of Athens.
Coming down to a better authenticated period, it is reported that Lemnos was conquered by
Otanes, a general of
Darius Hystaspis. But soon (510 BC) it was reconquered by
Miltiades the Younger
Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Ancient Greece, Greek Classical Athens, Athenian Politician, statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He ...
, the tyrant of the Thracian Chersonese. Miltiades later returned to
Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
and Lemnos was an Athenian possession until the
Macedonian empire absorbed it. By 450 BC, Lemnos was an Athenian
''klēroukhia'' (or cleruchy, i.e. a dependency subject to direct rule by Athens). The Athenian settlers brought with them Athenian drama, dated to at least 348 BC. However, the tradition of theater seems to date back to the 5th century, and recent excavations at the site Hephaisteia suggest that the theater dated to the late 6th to early 5th century.
On a barren island near Lemnos there was an altar of
Philoctetes with a brazen serpent, bows and breastplate bound with strips, to remind of the sufferings of the hero.
In 197 BC, the Romans declared it free, but in 166 BC gave it over to Athens which retained nominal possession of it until the whole of Greece was made a province of the
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...
in 146 BC. After the division of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
in 395, Lemnos passed to the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
.
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
writes about a labyrinth on Lemnos which was built by the Lemnian architects Zmilis, Rhoecus, and Theodorus.
Middle Ages

As a province of the Byzantine Empire, Lemnos belonged to the
theme of the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...
, and was a target of
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...
raids in the 10th century and of
Seljuk raids in the 11th century.
Following the dissolution and division of the Empire after the
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...
, Lemnos (known by Westerners as ''Stalimene'') was apportioned to the
Latin Empire
The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantin ...
, and given as a fief to the Navigajoso family under the Venetian (or possibly of mixed Greek and Venetian descent) ''
megadux''
Filocalo Navigajoso.
Filocalo died in 1214, and was succeeded by his son
Leonardo and his daughters, who partitioned the island into three fiefs between them. Leonardo retained the title of ''megadux'' of the Latin Empire and half the island with the capital,
Kastro, while his sisters and their husbands received one quarter each with the fortresses of Moudros and
Kotsinos. Leonardo died in 1260 and was succeeded by his son
Paolo Navigajoso, who resisted Byzantine attempts at reconquest until his death during a siege of the island by the Byzantine admiral
Licario in 1277. Resistance continued by his wife, but in 1278 the Navigajosi were forced to capitulate and cede the island back to Byzantium.
During the last centuries of Byzantium, Lemnos played a prominent role: following the loss of
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, it was a major source of food, and it played an important role in the recurring civil wars of the 14th century.
As the
Ottoman threat mounted in the 15th century, possession of Lemnos was demanded by
Alfonso V of Aragon in exchange for offering assistance to the beleaguered Byzantines, while the last Byzantine emperor,
Constantine XI Palaiologos
Constantine XI Dragases Palaiologos or Dragaš Palaeologus (; 8 February 140429 May 1453) was the last reigning List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 23 January 1449 until his death in battle at the fall of Constantinople on 29 M ...
, offered it to the
Genoese captain
Giustiniani Longo, if the Ottoman besiegers were driven off.
Dorino I Gattilusio, the ruler of
Lesbos, also acquired Lemnos as his fief shortly before the
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...
in 1453.
Ottoman period
Following the fall of Constantinople (1453), and thanks to the intercession of
Michael Critobulus, Sultan
Mehmed II
Mehmed II (; , ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror (; ), was twice the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from August 1444 to September 1446 and then later from February 1451 to May 1481.
In Mehmed II's first reign, ...
recognized Dorino I Gattilusio's possession of Lemnos and
Thasos in exchange for an annual tribute of 2,325 gold coins. When Dorino died in 1455, his son and successor
Domenico was only granted Lemnos, however.
In 1456, Mehmed II attacked and captured the Gattilusi domains in Thrace (
Ainos and the islands of
Samothrace and
Imbros). During the subsequent negotiations with Domenico Gattilusio, the Greek populace of Lemnos rose up against Domenico's younger brother
Niccolò Gattilusio and submitted to the Sultan, who appointed a certain Hamza Bey as governor under the
Bey of Gallipoli, Isma'il.
Mehmed granted a special legal charter (''kanun-name'') to Lemnos, Imbros, and Thasos, at this time, later revised by
Selim I
Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...
in 1519.
In 1457 a
Papal fleet under Cardinal
Ludovico Scarampi Mezzarota captured the island.
Pope Callixtus III (in office 1455–1458) hoped to establish a new
military order on the island, which controlled the exit of the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
, but nothing came of it as Isma'il Bey soon recovered Lemnos for the Sultan.
In 1464, during the
First Ottoman–Venetian War, the
Venetians seized Lemnos and other former Gattilusi possessions, but the area reverted to Ottoman control in accordance with the 1479
Treaty of Constantinople.
In the aftermath, the
Kapudan Pasha
The Kapudan Pasha (, modern Turkish: ), also known as the (, modern: , "Captain of the Sea") was the grand admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Typically, he was based at Galata and Gallipoli during the winter and charged with annual sailings durin ...
,
Gedik Ahmed, repaired the island's fortifications and brought in settlers from
Anatolia
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
. At this time, the administration of the island was also reformed and brought in line with Ottoman practice, with a governor (''
voevoda''), judge (
''kadi''), and elders (''
kodjabashis'') heading the local Greek inhabitants.
In the late 16th century, Lemnos is recorded, along with Chios, as "the only prosperous island of the Archipelago". It had 74 villages, three of them inhabited by Turkish Muslims.
In July 1656, during the
Fifth Ottoman–Venetian War, the Venetians captured the island again following a
major victory over the Ottoman fleet. The Ottomans under Topal Mehmed Pasha recovered it barely a year later, on 15 November 1657, after besieging the capital of Kastro for 63 days.
The famous
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
poet Niyazi Misri was exiled to Lemnos for several years during the late 17th century. In July 1770, Russian forces under Count
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov besieged Kastro for three months during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774. The fortress had just surrendered when an
attack by the Ottoman fleet under
Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha on the Russian vessels in Mudros Bay forced the Russians to withdraw (9–10 October 1770).
Only a few days later, the pasha and Orlov
clashed once again at
Mudros
Moudros () is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lemnos, of which it is a municipal unit. It covers the entire eastern peninsula o ...
, which once again resulted in an Ottoman victory.

Under Ottoman rule, Lemnos initially formed part of the ''
sanjaks'' of Gallipoli or Mytilene under the
Eyalet of the Archipelago, but was constituted as a separate ''sanjak'' in the
reforms of the mid-19th century, at the latest by 1846. Abolished in 1867, the sanjak was re-formed in 1879 and existed until the
island's capture by the Greeks in 1912. It comprised the islands of Lemnos (Limni in Turkish),
Agios Efstratios (Bozbaba), Imbros (Imroz) and
Tenedos
Tenedos (, ''Tenedhos''; ), or Bozcaada in Turkish language, Turkish, is an island of Turkey in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. Administratively, the island constitutes the Bozcaada, Çanakkale, Bozcaada district of Çanakkale Provinc ...
(Bozcaada).
The French scholar
Vital Cuinet, in his 1896 work ''La Turquie d'Asie'', recorded a population of 27,079, of which 2,450 were Muslims and the rest Greek Orthodox.
Modern period
On 8 October 1912, during the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...
, Lemnos became part of
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. The Greek navy under Rear Admiral
Pavlos Kountouriotis captured it
after a brief action without any casualties from the Ottoman garrison, who were returned to Anatolia.
Peter Charanis, born on the island in 1908, and later a professor of
Byzantine history
The Byzantine Empire's history is generally periodised from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. From the 3rd to 6th centuries, the Greek East and Latin West of the Roman Empire gradually diverged, marked by Diocletian's (r. ...
at
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, recounts when the island was liberated and Greek soldiers were sent to the villages and stationed themselves in the public squares. Some of the children ran to see what Greek soldiers looked like; "What are you looking at?", one of them asked; "At Hellenes", the children replied; "Are you not Hellenes yourselves?", a soldier retorted; "No, we are
Romans"; which might seem odd at a first glance, but indicates that in parts of Greece the locals self-identified as a continuation of the Eastern, Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire (
Ρωμιοί), along with their Greek identity.
Moudros Bay became a forward anchorage for the Greek fleet, which enabled it to keep watch on the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
and prevent a foray by the
Ottoman Navy into the Aegean. The Ottomans' two attempts to achieve this were beaten back in the battles of
Elli and
Lemnos
Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...
. Thus the Ottomans were prevented from supplying and reinforcing their land forces in
Macedonia by sea, a critical factor in the success of the
Balkan League in the war.
During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, in early 1915, the
Allies used the island to try to capture the
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...
Straits, some away. This was done chiefly by the British and largely due to the urging of
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
. The harbour at Moudros was put under the control of British Admiral
Rosslyn Wemyss, who was ordered to prepare the then largely unused harbour for operations against the Dardanelles.
The harbour was broad enough for British and French warships, but lacked suitable military facilities, which was recognized early on. Troops intended for
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east.
Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...
had to train in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, and the port found it difficult to cope with casualties of the
Gallipoli campaign. The campaign was called off in evident failure at the close of 1915. Moudros' importance receded, although it remained the Allied base for the blockade of the Dardanelles during the war. The town of
Lemnos, Victoria, Australia, established in 1927 as a
soldier settlement zone for returning First World War soldiers, was named after the island. There are three
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...
(CWGC) cemeteries on the island, the first one for the 352 Allied soldiers in
Portianou, the second one for the 148 Australian and 76 New Zealander soldiers in the town of Moudros and the third one for the Ottoman soldiers (170 Egyptian and 56 Turkish soldiers).
In late October 1918, the
armistice
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...
between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies was signed at Moudros.
After the Red Army victory in the
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
in 1920, many
Kuban Cossacks fled the country to avoid persecution from the Bolsheviks. A notable evacuation point was the Greek island of Lemnos where 18,000 Kuban Cossacks landed, though many later died of starvation and disease. Most left the island after a year.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the island was occupied by the Germans on 25 April 1941, in the wake of the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
’s invasion of Greece, by the Infanterie Regiment 382/164 Inf.Division under the command of Oberst Wilhelm-
Helmuth Beukemann. The same bay of Moudros used by the Allies in WWI served as a base for German ships controlling the northern Aegean sea. An important fact is that the occupation forces included German punitive bataillon, the famous 999 units, in this case the
999th Light Afrika Division (Wehrmacht) and its Afrika Schützen Regiment 963 (later Festungs Infanterie Bataillon 999). These included many German and Austrian antifascist political prisoners enrolled by force, many of whom then joined the
Greek People's Liberation Army (ELAS), such as
Wolfgang Abendroth. Partially evacuated since August 1944, the island was liberated on 16 and 17 of October 1944 by the Greek
Sacred Band (World War II) or Greek Sacred Squadron under the command of the British Raiding Forces (as part of the SAS or
Special Air Service
The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...
).
Today the island has about 30 villages and settlements. The province includes the island of
Agios Efstratios to the southwest which has some exceptional beaches.
Municipality

The present municipality of Lemnos was formed on the merger of the following four former municipalities, each of which became municipal units, following the 2011 local government reform:
[
* Atsiki
* Moudros
* Myrina
* Nea Koutali
Lemnos and the smaller island of Agios Efstratios previously formed part of Lesbos Prefecture. In 2011, the prefecture was abolished and Lemnos and Agios Efstratios now form Lemnos Regional Unit. Lemnos Province, abolished in 2006, comprised the same territory as the present regional unit.
]
Subdivisions
The municipal units of Atsiki, Moudros, Myrina and Nea Koutali are subdivided into the following communities (constituent villages in brackets):
Atsiki
* Agios Dimitrios
*Atsiki (Atsiki, Propouli)
* Dafni
* Karpasi
* Katalakko
* Sardes
* Varos (Varos, Aerolimin)
Moudros
* Fisini (Fisini, Agia Sofia)
* Kalliopi
* Kaminia (Kaminia, Voroskopos)
* Kontopouli (Kontopouli, Agios Alexandros, Agios Theodoros)
* Lychna (Lychna, Anemoessa)
*Moudros (Moudros, Koukonisi)
* Panagia (Panagia, Kortisonas)
* Plaka
* Repanidi (Repanidi, Kotsinos)
* Roussopouli
* Romanou
* Skandali
Myrina
*Myrina (Myrina, incl. Androni)
*Thanos
Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
(Thanos, Paralia Thanous)
* Kaspakas (Kaspakas, Agios Ioannis, Gali, Limenaria)
* Kornos (Kornos, Psylloi)
* Platy (Platy, Paralia Plateos, Plagisos Molos)
Nea Koutali
* Agkaryones
*Kallithea
Kallithea (Greek language, Greek: Καλλιθέα, meaning "beautiful view") is a suburb in Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration and a municipality in South Athens (regional unit), south Athens regional unit. It is the eighth larges ...
* Kontias
* Livadochori (Livadochori, Poliochni)
*Nea Koutali
* Pedino (Neo Pedino, Palaio Pedino, Vounaria)
* Portianou
* Tsimandria
Culture
Cuisine
Local specialties include:
* Kalathaki Limnou, cheese
*Melichloro, cheese
*Fava ( Lathyrus clymenum)
*'' Paximadia''
*''Tiganopites''
* Flomaria, type of pasta
*Valanes, type of pasta
* Limnio wine
*''Katiméria'', dessert (tiganites, type of pancakes)
*''Feloúdia'', dessert
Sports
* Ifaistos Limnou BC
Economy
Lemnos has a strong husbandry tradition, being famous for the Kalathaki Limnou ( PDO), a cheese made from sheep and goat milk; as well as for the Melichloro or Melipasto cheese and its yogurt
Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...
. Fruit and vegetables that grow on the island include almonds, figs, melons, watermelons, tomatoes, pumpkins and olives. The main crops are wheat, barley, sesame; in fact, Lemnos was Constantinople's granary after the Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
Empire lost its Anatolian possessions in the 1320s. Lemnos also produces honey (from thyme
Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...
-fed bees), but, as is the case with most products of a local nature in Greece, the produced quantities are little more than simply sufficient for the local market. Muscat grapes are grown widely, and are used to produce an unusual table wine that is dry yet has a strong Muscat flavor. Since 1985, the variety and quality of Lemnos wines have increased greatly.
The island's economically active population in 2001 was 6,602. Of them, 12% were employers, 20.5% self-employed, 55.3% wage-earners, 7.1% unpaid, auxiliary family members, and 5.1% did not declare line of occupation. Of the economically active population, 17.9% worked in agriculture, 5.3% in light manufacturing, 11% in construction, 6.7% in hotels and restaurants, and the rest in other lines of business. In 2001, the island had 12,116 regular dwellings, of which 65% were stone-built, and 90.2% had pitched roofs made of red tiles.
Transport
The only airport is Lemnos International Airport, east of Myrina. The island is well served by ferries from Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; ; , Ancient: , Katharevousa: ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Ath ...
(Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
), Lavrio, and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
.
Notable people
* Alcamenes (5th century BC); sculptor
* (1618-1694); Turkish Sufi, poet
* Ioannis Dimitriou, cotton and industrialist merchant
* Peter Charanis, historian
* Komninos Pyromaglou, WWII resistance figure
* Ilias Iliou (1904 – 1985); politician, leader of United Democratic Left
* Rallis Kopsidis (1929 - 2010); painter, writer
* Panagiotis Magdanis, Olympic rower
In popular culture
A slightly fictionalized Lemnos appears in the 2013 tactical shooter video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
'' Arma 3'' as the island of "Altis", part of the island country
An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...
of the "Republic of Altis and Stratis". Altis is the main setting of the game, and originally kept the name "Lemnos" before an incident in 2012 between the game's developers and Greek authorities prompted the developers to rename the island. "Stratis", based on Agios Efstratios, is south of the island as it is in real life.
In '' God of War'', at some point in the story Kratos finds a bottle of Lemnian wine, which he claims to come from Lemnos, a place close to where he was born. He eventually shares it with his son Atreus.[Kratos & Atreus Drink Wine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kcba7Rvv8Y0]
See also
* Lemnian language
* Lemniscate
* Limnio wine
* Lemnian Athena
* Armistice of Mudros (or Moudros)
References
Sources
*
*Dimitris Plantzos'', The Story of Lemnos. Myth - History - Heritage,'' Athens: Kapon Editions (2022).
External links
*
Lemnos travel guide website
{{Authority control
Islands of Greece
Islands of the North Aegean
Landforms of Lemnos (regional unit)
Places in the Iliad
Municipalities of the North Aegean
Thracian Sea
Territories of the Republic of Venice
Territories of the Republic of Genoa
Wine regions of Greece
Hellenic Navy bases
Populated places in Lemnos
Sacred islands