Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a
Greek island
Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227.
The largest Greek island by ...
located in the northeastern
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
. It has an area of
with approximately of
coastline
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
, making it the third largest island in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
. It is separated from
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
by the narrow
Mytilini Strait
The Mytilini Strait ( el, Στενό της Μυτιλήνης; tr, Midilli Boğazı) is a strait in the Aegean Sea that separates the Greek island of Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the nor ...
. On the southeastern coast lies the island's capital and largest city,
Mytilene, whose name is also used as a moniker for the island.
The
regional unit
The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...
of Lesbos, with the seat in Mytilene, comprises the islands of Lesbos,
Chios
Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mast ...
,
Ikaria,
Lemnos
Lemnos or Limnos ( el, Λήμνος; grc, Λῆμνος) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean region. The p ...
, and
Samos
Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a sepa ...
. Mytilene is also the capital of the larger
North Aegean
The North Aegean Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Voríou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the isl ...
region. The population of the island is 83,068, a third of whom live in the capital, while the remainder is distributed in small towns and villages. The largest are
Plomari,
Kalloni
Kalloni ( el, Καλλονή) is a town in the west-central part of the island of Lesbos, Greece. It is the seat of the West Lesbos municipality and the Kalloni municipal unit within it. Prior to 2011 the current municipal unit was a municipa ...
, the
Gera Villages,
Agiassos
Agiasos ( el, Αγιάσος) is a small town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform, it became a municipality unit that is part of the municipality Mytilene. The municip ...
,
Eresos, and
Molyvos
Mithymna () ( el, Μήθυμνα, also sometimes spelled ''Methymna'') is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of whic ...
(the ancient Mythimna).
According to later Greek writers, Mytilene was founded in the 11th century BC by the family Penthilidae, who arrived from
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
and ruled the city-state until a popular revolt (590–580 BC) led by
Pittacus of Mytilene
Pittacus (; grc-gre, Πιττακός; 640 – 568 BC) was an ancient Mytilenean military general and one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
Biography
Pittacus was a native of Mytilene and son of Hyrradius. He became a Mytilenaean general who, wit ...
ended their rule. In fact, the archaeological and linguistic record may indicate a late
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly ...
arrival of Greek settlers although references in Late Bronze Age Hittite archives indicate a likely Greek presence then. The name Mytilene itself seems to be of
Hittite origin. According to
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a 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. Homer is considered one of the ...
's ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") 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 ''Ody ...
'', Lesbos was part of the kingdom of
Priam
In Greek mythology, Priam (; grc-gre, Πρίαμος, ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra.
Etymology ...
, which was based in
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
. Much work remains to be done to determine just what happened and when. In the Middle Ages, it was under
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and then
Genoese rule. Lesbos was
conquered by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
in 1462. The Ottomans then ruled the island until the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
in 1912, when it became part of the Kingdom of Greece.
The island is widely known as the home of the ancient Greek poet
Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
, from whose association with homosexuality the word ''
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
'' derives its modern meaning. It is also sometimes called the "Island of the Poets".
Etymology
The name is from
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
(, 'forested, woody'), possibly a
Hittite borrowing, as the original Hittite name for the island was . An older name for the island that was maintained in
Aeolic Greek
In linguistics, Aeolic Greek (), also known as Aeolian (), Lesbian or Lesbic dialect, is the set of dialects of Ancient Greek spoken mainly in Boeotia; in Thessaly; in the Aegean island of Lesbos; and in the Greek colonies of Aeolis in Anat ...
was ().
The traditional English form ''Lesbos'' (pronounced , also ) comes from Ancient Greek. In Modern Greek, letter is pronounced and transliterated as , producing the alternative form ''Lesvos''. In Greece, it is often referred to as Mytilene (), after its capital.
History
Prehistory
Lesbos has been inhabited since at least 3000BC. The oldest artifacts found on the island may date to the late Paleolithic period. Important archaeological sites on the island are the
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
cave of
Kagiani, probably a refuge for shepherds, the Neolithic settlement of
Chalakies, and the extensive habitation of Thermi (3000–1000 BC). The largest habitation is found in Lisvori, dating back to 2800–1900 BC, part of which is submerged in shallow coastal waters. It is also thought that
Pelasgians
The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...
,
Archaeans and
Aeolians chronologically lived on the island between 1507 BC and 1100 BC.
Ancient and classical era
According to Classical
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
, Lesbos was the
patron god of the island.
Macareus of Rhodes was reputedly the first king whose many daughters bequeathed their names to some of the present larger towns. In Classical myth his sister,
Canace
In Greek mythology, Canace (; Ancient Greek: Κανάκη means "‘barking") was a Thessalian princess as daughter of King Aeolus of Aeolia and Enarete, daughter of Deimachus. She was sometimes referrred as Aeolis.
Family
Canace was the siste ...
, was killed to have him made king. The place names with female origins are claimed by some to be much earlier settlements named after local goddesses, who were replaced by gods; however, there is little evidence to support this.
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a 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. Homer is considered one of the ...
refers to the island as "''Macaros edos''", the seat of Macar.
Hittite records from the Late
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
name the island ''Lazpa'' and must have considered its population significant enough to allow the Hittites to "borrow their Gods" (presumably idols) to cure their king when the local gods were not forthcoming. It is believed that emigrants from mainland Greece, mainly from
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
, entered the island in the Late Bronze Age and bequeathed it with the Aeolic dialect of the Greek language, whose written form survives in the poems of
Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
, amongst others. Two of the
nine lyric poets in the Ancient Greek canon, Sappho and
Alcaeus, were from Lesbos.
Phanias wrote history. The seminal artistic creativity of those times brings to mind the myth of
Orpheus
Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...
to whom
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
gave a
lyre
The lyre () is a string instrument, stringed musical instrument that is classified by Hornbostel–Sachs as a member of the History of lute-family instruments, lute-family of instruments. In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it ...
and the
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...
s taught to play and sing. When Orpheus incurred the wrath of the god Dionysus he was dismembered by the Maenads and of his body parts his head and his lyre found their way to Lesbos where they have "remained" ever since.
Pittacus
Pittacus (; grc-gre, Πιττακός; 640 – 568 BC) was an ancient Mytilenean military general and one of the Seven Sages of Greece.
Biography
Pittacus was a native of Mytilene and son of Hyrradius. He became a Mytilenaean general who, with ...
was one of the
Seven Sages of Greece
The Seven Sages (of Greece) or Seven Wise Men ( Greek: ''hoi hepta sophoi'') was the title given by classical Greek tradition to seven philosophers, statesmen, and law-givers of the 7–6th century BC who were renowned for their wisdom.
T ...
. In classical times,
Hellanicus advanced historiography and
Theophrastus
Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routle ...
, the father of botany, succeeded
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...
as the head of the Lyceum. Aristotle and
Epicurus
Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influence ...
lived there for some time, and it is there that Aristotle began systematic zoological investigations.
Theophanes, historian who recorded
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...
's campaigns, wrote the famous novel
Daphnis and Chloe. The abundant grey pottery ware found on the island and the worship of
Cybele, the great mother-goddess of
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, suggest the cultural continuity of the population from
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
times. When the Persian king
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...
defeated
Croesus
Croesus ( ; Lydian: ; Phrygian: ; grc, Κροισος, Kroisos; Latin: ; reigned: c. 585 – c. 546 BC) was the king of Lydia, who reigned from 585 BC until his defeat by the Persian king Cyrus the Great in 547 or 546 BC.
Croesus was r ...
(546 BC) the Ionic Greek cities of Anatolia and the adjacent islands became Persian subjects and remained such until the Persians were defeated by the Greeks at the
Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis ( ) was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC. It resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was ...
(480 BC). The island was governed by an
oligarchy
Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate ...
in
archaic times, followed by quasi-democracy in
classical times. Around this time,
Arion
Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...
developed the type of poem called
dithyramb
The dithyramb (; grc, διθύραμβος, ''dithyrambos'') was an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility; the term was also used as an epithet of the god. Plato, in '' The Laws'', while discussing ...
, the progenitor of tragedy, and
Terpander invented the seven note musical scale for the lyre. For a short period it was a member of the
Athenian confederacy, its apostasy from which is recounted by
Thucydides
Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His '' History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of " scienti ...
in the ''
Mytilenian Debate'', in Book III of his ''
History of the Peloponnesian War''. In
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
times, the island belonged to various
Successor kingdoms until 79 BC when it passed into
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
hands. Remnants of its Roman medieval history are three impressive castles.
The cities of Mytilene and Methymna have been bishoprics since the 5th century. By the early 10th century, Mytilene had been raised to the status of a
metropolitan see
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a t ...
. Methymna achieved the same by the 12th century.
Middle Ages and Byzantine era
During the Middle Ages, Lesbos belonged to the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. In 802, the Byzantine Empress
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United State ...
was exiled to Lesbos after her deposition, and died there.
The island served as a gathering base for the fleet of the rebel
Thomas the Slav in the early 820s.
In the 10th century, it was part of the
theme of the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
, while in the late 11th century it formed a ''dioikesis'' under a ''kourator'' in Mytilene.
In the 1090s, the island was briefly occupied by the
Seljuk Turkish emir
Çaka Bey, but he was unable to capture Methymna, which resisted throughout.
In the 12th century, the island became a frequent target for plundering raids by the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...
.
Ottoman era
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 ...
(1202–1204) the island passed 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 Byza ...
, but was reconquered by the
Empire of Nicaea
The Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire is the conventional historiographic name for the largest of the three Byzantine Greek''A Short history of Greece from early times to 1964'' by W. A. Heurtley, H. C. Darby, C. W. Crawley, C. M. Woodhous ...
sometime after 1224.
In 1354, it was granted as a fief to the
Genoese Francesco I Gattilusio, whose family ruled Lesbos until it was
conquered by the
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
in 1462.
It remained under Turkish rule, named () in Turkish. The historian Doukas wrote the history of the early
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922).
Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
. During Ottoman rule, the compulsory
devshirme system was implemented into the island, where the locals including Muslim landowners and the state representatives negotiated enlisting their teenagers into the Ottoman military by preventing some boys from being levied and sneaking others into the levied groups. For example, in the winter between 1603 and 1604, 105 boys were levied from the island and Lesvos was the only Island that the levy was implemented on the levy of this period.
Modern era
In 1912, the island was taken by Greek forces during the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
. In 1922, many
Greek refugees of the
Greco-Turkish War and
Greek Genocide
The Greek genocide (, ''Genoktonia ton Ellinon''), which included the Pontic genocide, was the systematic killing of the Christian Ottoman Greek population of Anatolia which was carried out mainly during World War I and its aftermath (1914� ...
settled in Lesbos. These refugees were mostly women and children as the men were either fighting or had already lost their lives in the war. A statue of a mother cradling her children named the "Statue of the Asia Minor Mother" was donated by the refugees and erected in Mytilene. Twenty years later, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
,
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
conducted an invasion of Greece and
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
, with both being defeated in 1941 and subsequently divided between the
Axis Powers
The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were ...
. Lesbos was annexed into Germany until 10 September 1944, when Greece was liberated.
The poet
Odysseus Elytis, the descendant of an old family of Lesbos, received the
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
.
Tourism
Lesbos is known to be one of the Greek island touristic hotspots, especially during its tourism season of April, May, June and July.
Mytilene airport management recorded 47,379 tourists visiting Lesbos in its 2015 tourism season. The
refugee crisis
A refugee crisis can refer to difficulties and dangerous situations in the reception of large groups of forcibly displaced persons. These could be either internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers or any other huge groups of migrants.
A ...
has since slowed down tourism to the island, with a 67.89% decrease rate from June 2015 to June 2016. 6,841 Europeans on 47 flights arrived in Lesbos during its 2016 tourism season, compared to July the previous year, which saw 18,373 Europeans fly to the island on 130 flights.
94 cruise ships full of tourists arrived in Lesbos in 2011 and only one in 2018.
Of the refugee crisis' impact on tourism, Maria Dimitriou, a local shop owner from
Mithymna
Mithymna () ( el, Μήθυμνα, also sometimes spelled ''Methymna'') is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of wh ...
, said, "2015 was a very good year for tourism and then, suddenly they started to arrive. The refugees began arriving in mid-July, when the hotels were full of tourists. There were refugees everywhere, lying down with all their trash. And after this, tourism stopped."
In 2019, the head of the Lesbos chamber of commerce, Vangelis Mirsinias, told ''
The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Niskala Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian med ...
'' that the island's administration is trying to "woo back the tourists" and they "want to remind people of how beautiful" Lesbos is."
He advocated for the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
to help in advertising and also said, "The economy is still paying the impact of the crisis. It will need time and money to change this image."
Lesbos is also a hotspot for
Dutch tourists and one Dutch tourist said that tourism had halted because people "did not feel like seeing all this misery" of the refugees.
One local told the publication that residents had become "fed up" and "people are angry towards the government and towards Europe: they told us not to worry, the camps won't last. But it's still there", whilst another business owner explained that he had lost a third of his business and "blames all the negative media attention" for the lack of tourists.
''The Jakarta Post'' also reported that tourists have increased in numbers in recent years, with 63,000 arriving in 2018.
The
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
has also damaged the island's tourism industry.
In April 2022, the Greek government announced a dedication of €2 million in restoring tourism in Lesbos and four other islands. In October 2022, it was announced that Lesbos would return to the cruise ship industry.
Konstantinos Moutzouris, the governor of the North Aegean Region, which Lesbos is under, explained that the region's administration will run a study "in order to develop cruise tourism on the island."
The deputy governor of tourism, Nikolaos Nyktas, believed that the cruise industry "suits the island and its culture", while the head of development for the project, Ioannis Bras, said that the island could "offer a lot to the cruise market".
In English and most other European languages, including
Greek, the term ''
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
'' is commonly used to refer to homosexual women. This use of the term derives from the poems of
Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
, who was born in Lesbos and who wrote with powerful emotional content directed toward other women. Due to this association, the town of
Eresos, her birthplace, is visited frequently by
LGBT tourists.
Geography
Lesbos lies in the far east of the Aegean sea, facing the Turkish coast (
Gulf of Edremit The Edremit gulf tr, Edremit körfezi el, Αδραμυττηνός κόλπος, Adramyttinós kólpos is an Aegean Sea, Aegean gulf in Turkey's Balıkesir Province. It is named after Edremit, Balıkesir, Edremit, an ilçe (district) of Balıkesi ...
) from the north and east; at the narrowest point, the
Mytilini Strait
The Mytilini Strait ( el, Στενό της Μυτιλήνης; tr, Midilli Boğazı) is a strait in the Aegean Sea that separates the Greek island of Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the nor ...
is about wide. In late Palaeolithic/Mesolithic times it was joined to the Anatolian mainland before the end of the
Last Glacial Period.
The shape of the island is roughly triangular, but it is deeply intruded by the gulfs of
Kalloni
Kalloni ( el, Καλλονή) is a town in the west-central part of the island of Lesbos, Greece. It is the seat of the West Lesbos municipality and the Kalloni municipal unit within it. Prior to 2011 the current municipal unit was a municipa ...
, with an entry on the southern coast, and of
Gera
Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...
, in the southeast.
The island is forested and mountainous with two large peaks, Mount Lepetymnos at and Mount Olympus at (not to be confused with
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
in Thessaly on the Greek mainland), dominating its northern and central sections. The island's volcanic origin is manifested in several
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
s and the two gulfs.
Lesbos is verdant, aptly named ''Emerald Island'', with a greater variety of flora than expected for the island's size. Eleven million
olive trees cover 40% of the island together with other fruit trees. Forests of Mediterranean
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
s, chestnut trees and some
oaks occupy 20%, and the remainder is
scrub,
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...
or urban.
Climate
The island has a
hot-summer Mediterranean climate (''Csa'' in the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
). The mean annual temperature is , and the mean annual rainfall is . Its exceptional sunshine makes it one of the sunniest islands in the Aegean Sea. Snow and very low temperatures are rare.
Geology
The entire territory of Lesbos is "Lesvos
Geopark
A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences.
In 20 ...
", which is a member of the
European Geoparks Network (since 2000) and
Global Geoparks Network
UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...
(since 2004) on account of its outstanding geological heritage, educational programs and projects, and promotion of
geotourism
Geotourism is tourism associated with geological attractions and destinations.Dowling, R. & Newsome, D. (Eds.)(2006) ''Geotourism'' ; Elsevier, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford Geotourism deals with the abiotic natural and built environments.Sadry ...
.
This geopark was enlarged from former "Lesvos Petrified Forest Geopark". Lesbos contains one of the few known
petrified forests, called
Petrified forest of Lesbos, and it has been declared a
Protected Natural Monument. Fossilised plants have been found in many localities on the western part of the island. The fossilised forest was formed during the Late
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but t ...
to Lower–Middle
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
, as determined by the intense
volcanic activity in the area. Neogene
volcanic rocks dominate the central and western part of the island, comprising
andesite
Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predo ...
s,
dacite
Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained ( aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyo ...
s and
rhyolite
Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The miner ...
s,
ignimbrite,
pyroclastic
Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...
s,
tuff
Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...
s, and
volcanic ash
Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, created during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to refer ...
. The products of the volcanic activity covered the
vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic charac ...
of the area and the
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
ization process took place during favourable conditions. The fossilized plants are silicified remnants of a
sub-tropical forest that existed on the northwest part of the island 20–15 million years ago.
Landmarks
*
Petrified forest of Lesbos
*
Catholic Church of Theotokos, where part of the relics of
Saint Valentine are kept
*Castle of Molyvos (Mithymna)
*
Castle of Mytilene
*Castle of Sigri
*Church of Panagia Agiasos
*Monastery of Agios Raphael
*Monastery of Taxiarchis
*Roman Aqueduct of Lesbos (Mória)
*The Bridge at Kremasti
*Early Christian Basilica of Agios Andreas in Eressos
*Temple of Klopedi
*Christian Temple of Chalinados
*
Ancient Sanctuary of Messa
*Acropolis of Ancient Pyrra
*Monastery of Ipsilou
*Monastery of Limonas
*
Statue of Liberty (Mytilene)
*Ouzo Museum "The World of Ouzo" in
Plomari
*Barbayannis Ouzo Museum (Plomari)
*The Mosque in Parakila
*Catacomb of Mary Magdalene
*
Sourlangas Leather Factory
Endangered sites
Twelve historic churches on the island were listed together on the 2008
World Monuments Fund's
Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world. The churches range in date from the Early Christian Period to the 19th century. Exposure to the elements, outmoded conservation methods, and increased tourism are all threats to the structures. The following are the 12 churches:
*Katholikon of Moni Perivolis
*Early Christian Basilica Agios Andreas Eressos
*Early Christian Basilica Afentelli Eressos
*Church of Agios Stephanos Mantamados
*Katholikon of Moni Taxiarchon Kato Tritos
*Katholikon of Moni Damandriou Polichnitos
*Metamorphosi Soteros Church in Papiana
*Church of Agios Georgios Anemotia
*Church of Agios Nikolaos Petra
*Monastery of Ipsilou
*Church of Agios Ioannis Kerami
*Church of Taxiarchon Vatousa
Administration
Lesbos is a separate
regional unit
The 74 regional units of Greece ( el, περιφερειακές ενότητες, ; sing. , ) are the country's Seventy-four second-level administrative units. They are divisions of the country's 13 regions, and are further divided into munici ...
of the
North Aegean
The North Aegean Region ( el, Περιφέρεια Βορείου Αιγαίου, translit=Periféria Voríou Eyéou, ) is one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece, and the smallest of the thirteen by population. It comprises the isl ...
region, and since 2019 it consists of two
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...
:
Mytilene and
West Lesbos.
Between the 2011
Kallikratis government reform and 2019, there was one single municipality on the island: Lesbos, created out of the 13 former municipalities on the island. At the same reform, the regional unit Lesbos was created out of part of the former
Lesbos Prefecture.
The municipality of Mytilene consists of the following municipal units (former municipalities):
*
Agiasos
Agiasos ( el, Αγιάσος) is a small town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform, it became a municipality unit that is part of the municipality Mytilene. The municip ...
(Αγιάσος)
*
Evergetoulas
Evergetoulas (Greek: Ευεργέτουλας) is a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality Mytilene, of which it is a municipal unit. It is located ...
(Ευεργέτουλας)
*
Gera
Gera is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of cit ...
(Γέρα)
*
Loutropoli Thermis (Λουτρόπολη Θερμής)
*
Mytilene (Μυτιλήνη)
*
Plomari (Πλωμάρι)
The municipality of West Lesbos consists of the following municipal units:
*
Agia Paraskevi
Agia Paraskevi ( el, Αγία Παρασκευή, ''Agía Paraskeví'') is a suburb and a municipality in the northeastern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. It is part of the North Athens regional unit. Agia Paraskevi was named after the ...
(Αγία Παρασκευή)
*
Eresos-Antissa
Eresos-Antissa ( el, Ερεσός-Άντισσα) is a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. From the 2010 local government reform until 2019 it was part of the municipality of Lesbos and since 2019 it is a municipali ...
(Ερεσός-Άντισσα)
*
Kalloni
Kalloni ( el, Καλλονή) is a town in the west-central part of the island of Lesbos, Greece. It is the seat of the West Lesbos municipality and the Kalloni municipal unit within it. Prior to 2011 the current municipal unit was a municipa ...
(Καλλονή)
*
Mantamados
Mantamados ( el, Μανταμάδος/Mantamaðos) is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of which it is a municipal u ...
(Μανταμάδος)
*
Mithymna
Mithymna () ( el, Μήθυμνα, also sometimes spelled ''Methymna'') is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of wh ...
(Μήθυμνα)
*
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to the mountain of Ja ...
(Πέτρα)
*
Polichnitos (Πολίχνιτος)
Economy
The economy of Lesbos is essentially
agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...
in nature, with
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
being the main source of
income. Tourism in
Mytilene, encouraged by its international airport and the coastal towns of
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to the mountain of Ja ...
,
Plomari,
Molyvos
Mithymna () ( el, Μήθυμνα, also sometimes spelled ''Methymna'') is a town and former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform it is part of the municipality of West Lesbos, of whic ...
and
Eresos, contribute substantially to the economy of the island.
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...
and the
manufacture
Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary secto ...
of
soap
Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...
and
ouzo, the Greek national
liqueur
A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...
, are the remaining sources of income.
Media
*TV: Aeolos TV
*Newspapers: ''
Dimokratis'', ''
Embros Lesvou''
*Online News: Aeolos, Stonisi, Emprosnet, Lesvosnews, Lesvospost.
Migrants
Due to its proximity to the Turkish mainland, Lesbos is one of the Greek islands most affected by the
European migrant crisis that started in 2015.
Refugees of the Syrian Civil War came to the island in multiple vessels every day. As of June 2018, 8,000 refugees were trapped when a deal between Europe and Turkey removed their route to the continent in 2016. After that, living conditions deteriorated and the possibility for movement on to Europe dimmed.
Moria Refugee Camp
Mória Reception and Identification Centre ( el, Κέντρο Υποδοχής και Ταυτοποίησης Μόριας), better known as Mória Refugee Camp, or just "Mória", was the largest refugee camp in Europe until it was burned down in ...
was the largest of the refugee camps and held twice as many people as it was designed to accommodate. By May 2020, Moria had 17,421 refugees living there.
On September 9, 2020, thousands of migrants fled from the overcrowded Moria camp, after a fire broke out. At least 25 firefighters, with 10 engines, were battling the flames both inside and outside the facility. A smaller-scale facility, the
Pikpa camp Pikpa camp or ''Lesbos Solidarity'', was a privately-run refugee camp near Mytilene on Lesbos.It had a capacity of 100-120 people, though it hosted hundreds more during times of acute need. Its aim was to support the most vulnerable refugees who pas ...
catered for a segment of the refugee population until its closure in October 2020, whereupon the occupants were transferred to the "old"
Kara Tepe Refugee Camp.
The Greek government maintains that the fires were started deliberately by migrants protesting that the camp had been put in lockdown due to a
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...
outbreak amongst the migrants in the camp. On September 16, 2020, four Afghan men were formally charged with arson for allegedly starting the fire. Two other migrants, both aged 17, which is below the age of full adult criminal responsibility in Greece, were also allegedly involved in starting the fire, and were held in police detention on the mainland.
After the closure of the Moria camp, a
temporary facility was rapidly set up at Kara Tepe. The Greek government announced in November 2020 that a new closed reception centre will be built in the Vastria area near Nees Kydonies, on the border between Mytilene and Western Lesbos, and will be completed by late 2021.
Culture
Cuisine
Local specialities:
*''Chachles'', type of
tarhana
*''Kydonato'', meat with quinces
*''Revithato'', meat with chickpeas
*''
Sardeles'' from
Kalloni
Kalloni ( el, Καλλονή) is a town in the west-central part of the island of Lesbos, Greece. It is the seat of the West Lesbos municipality and the Kalloni municipal unit within it. Prior to 2011 the current municipal unit was a municipa ...
*
Ladotyri Mytilinis, cheese
*''Selinato'', meat with celery
*''
Sfougato'', omelette
*''Skafoudes'', stuffed eggplants
*''Sougania'', stuffed onions
*
Ouzo
*''
Platseda'' (dessert)
*''
Finikia'' (dessert)
*''
Amygdalota
Amygdalota ( el, Αμυγδαλωτά; almond pears) are a type of almond cookie associated with the Cyclades. Although these cookies don't contain any coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( ...
''
*''Retseli''
In popular culture
*Films shot on the island include ''
Daphnis and Chloe'' (1931) by
Orestis Laskos, ''The tree under the sea'' (1985) by
Philippe Muyl Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prince Philippe, Count ...
and ''One Love and the Other'' (1994) by
Eva Bergman
Eva Bergman (born 5 September 1945) is a Swedish film, theatre and television director who worked at Dramaten. She is the daughter of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, and was married to crime writer Henning Mankell
Henning Georg Mankell ( ...
.
*Lesbos is depicted in
Assassin's Creed Odyssey as the northeasternmost Aegean Island, the center of the island is where the player's character can encounter
Medusa.
Sports
The main football clubs in the island are
Aiolikos F.C.,
Kalloni F.C.
Akadimia Podosfairou Lekanopediou Kallonis, commonly referred to Kalloni, was a Greek association football club based in Kalloni, Lesbos. They have competed in the Super League Greece from 2013 to 2016.
History
The club was established in 1994 a ...
and
Sappho Lesvou F.C.
Notable residents
*
Lesches (8th or 7th century BC), early poet
*
Sappho
Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...
(7th and 6th centuries BC), poet
*
Terpander (7th century BC), poet and
citharede
A kitharode ( Latinized citharode)
:
( translit. Greek)
* citharode (Anglicised translit. Latin)
* kitharode (Anglicised translit. Greek)
:
* citharede (rare)
* citharoede (rare)
:
* citharist (English translation Latin)
* kitharist (English t ...
*
Alcaeus of Mytilene
Alcaeus of Mytilene (; grc, Ἀλκαῖος ὁ Μυτιληναῖος, ''Alkaios ho Mutilēnaios''; – BC) was a lyric poet from the Greek island of Lesbos who is credited with inventing the Alcaic stanza. He was included in the canonical ...
(7th century BC), poet and politician
*
Arion
Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...
(7th century BC), poet
*
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ...
(384–322 BC), philosopher, was born in
Chalkidike but lived for a time on the island.
*
Theophrastus
Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routle ...
(370–285 BC), philosopher and botanist, successor to Aristotle
*
Theophanes of Mytilene (1st century BC), ancient Greek historian
*
Longus
Longus, sometimes Longos ( el, Λόγγος), was the author of an ancient Greek novel or romance, '' Daphnis and Chloe''. Nothing is known of his life; it is assumed that he lived on the isle of Lesbos (setting for ''Daphnis and Chloe'') du ...
(2nd century AD), ancient Greek author
*
Theoctiste of Lesbos (9th century), hermit saint
*
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...
: Byzantine emperor (1042–1055), resident of Mytilene prior to accession.
*
Christopher of Mytilene (11th century), poet
*
Doukas, Byzantine historian
*
Hayreddin Barbarossa (1470s–1546), Ottoman admiral
*
Georgios Jakobides (1853–1932), painter
*
Gregorios Bernardakis
Gregorios N. Bernardakis ( el, Γρηγόριος Ν. Βερναρδάκης, translit. ''Grigorios N. Vernardakis'', Neolatin ''Gregorius N. Bernardakis'', b. Mytilene 1848, d. 1925) was a Greek philologist, palaeographer, and university profe ...
(1848–1925), classical philologist and palaeographer
*
Demetrios Bernardakis, dramatist
*
Theophilos Hatzimihail
Theophilos Chatzimichail ( el, Θεόφιλος Χατζημιχαήλ or Θεόφιλος Κεφαλάς; born c. 1870, Vareia, near Mytilene, island of Lesbos; died in Vareia, Greece, 24 March 1934), known simply as Theophilos, was a Greek fo ...
(c. 1870–1934), painter
*
Georgios Emmanouil Kaldis
Georgios Emmanouil Kaldis (, 1875–1953) was a Greek lawyer, journalist, politician, and member of the Greek Parliament from 1915 to 1928 in the Liberal Party ('' Komma Fileleftheron'') founded by Eleftherios Venizelos.
Early years
George Emm ...
(1875–1953) lawyer, journalist and politician
*
Tériade (1889–1983), art critic, patron, and publisher
*
Hermon di Giovanno (c. 1900–1968), painter
*
Odysseas Elytis
Odysseas Elytis ( el, Οδυσσέας Ελύτης , pen name of Odysseas Alepoudellis, el, Οδυσσέας Αλεπουδέλλης; 2 November 1911 – 18 March 1996) was a Greek poet, man of letters, essayist and translator, regarded as th ...
(1911–1996), poet, Nobel Prize in Literature 1979
*
Tzeli Hadjidimitriou
Tzeli Hadjidimitriou (sometimes spelled ''Jelly Hadjidimitriou'', el, Τζέλη Χατζηδημητρίου) Greek is a fine art photographer, cinematographer, travel writer from Lesbos, Greece. She is the author of six photography books, with ...
(b. 1962), photographer and writer
*
Stratis Myrivilis
Efstratios Stamatopoulos (30 June 1890 – 19 July 1969) was a Greek writer. He is known for writing novels, novellas, and short stories under the pseudonym Stratis Myrivilis . He is associated with the "Generation of the '30s". He was nominated ...
(1890–1969), writer
*
Elias Venezis
Elias Venezis ( el, Ηλίας Βενέζης) (March 4, 1904 - August 3, 1973) is the pseudonym of Elias Mellos (), a major Greek novelist. He was born in 1904 in Ayvalık (Kydonies) in Asia Minor and died in Athens in 1973. He wrote many boo ...
, writer
*
Ahmed Djemal (1872–1922), Ottoman commander, politician
*
Kostas Kenteris, athlete (running, 200 meters), Gold Olympic medal Sydney 2000, World and European championship gold medal
*
Alex Martinez, graffiti artist, illustrator, muralist
*
Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha
Hüseyin Hilmi Pasha ( ota, حسین حلمی پاشا tr, Hüseyin Hilmi Paşa, also spelled Hussein Hilmi Pasha) (1 April 1855 – 1922) was an Ottoman statesman and imperial administrator. He was twice the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empir ...
(1 April 1855 – 1922), Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
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Tamburi Ali Efendi
Tamburi Ali Efendi (also spelled ''Tanburi'' or ''Tambouri''), (1836–1902) was a Turkish tambur virtuoso and composer, one of the most famous among 19th-century composers, who was also notable for having greatly contributed to Tamburi Ce ...
(1836–1902), Turkish classical composer
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Steffen Streich,
ultra-endurance cyclist
Gallery
File:Fire ship by Volanakis.jpg, "The burning of the Ottoman frigate at Eresos by Dimitrios Papanikolis" by Konstantinos Volanakis
File:Lesbos. Port Authority Building Mytilene, c. 1910.jpg, Ottoman flag in Mytilene in the last days of the Ottoman period
File:Greek troops land at Mytilene, 1912.jpeg, Greek troops land at Mytilene, 1912
File:Petra town.JPG, Petra, Lesbos
File:After the scraping of the salt Kalloni.jpg, Extraction of the salt in Lesbos
File:Άποψη ελαιοτριβείου αριστερά.jpg, Museum of industrial olive oil production, Agia Paraskevi
File:Lesbos Limonas011.JPG, Limonas monastery
File:Μονή Παμμεγίστων Ταξιαρχών Μανταμάδου (2) ΛΕΣΒΟΣ.jpg, Taxiarchis Monastery
File:Lesbos Agiassos04.JPG, Panagia Church in Agiasos
Agiasos ( el, Αγιάσος) is a small town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2019 local government reform, it became a municipality unit that is part of the municipality Mytilene. The municip ...
See also
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Adobogiona – an inscription in Lesbos honors this
Celt
The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...
ic princess
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Aeolic Greek
In linguistics, Aeolic Greek (), also known as Aeolian (), Lesbian or Lesbic dialect, is the set of dialects of Ancient Greek spoken mainly in Boeotia; in Thessaly; in the Aegean island of Lesbos; and in the Greek colonies of Aeolis in Anat ...
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Assos
Assos (; grc-gre, Ἄσσος, la, Assus) is a beautiful small and historically important town on the Aegean coast in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province, Turkey. It is on the southern side of Biga Peninsula (better known by its anc ...
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Lesbian rule
A lesbian rule was historically a flexible mason's rule made of lead that could be bent to the curves of a molding, and used to measure or reproduce irregular curves. Lesbian rules were originally constructed of a pliable kind of lead found on t ...
– historically a flexible lead mason's rule associated with Lesbos
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Lesbian wine
Lesbos wine is wine made on the Greek island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. The island has a long history of winemaking dating back to at least the 7th century BC when it was mentioned in the works of Homer. During this time the area competed with ...
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List of islands of Greece
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List of traditional Greek place names
This is a list of Greek place names as they exist in the Greek language.
*Places involved in the history of Greek culture, including:
**Historic Greek regions, including:
***Ancient Greece, including colonies and contacted peoples
*** Hellenisti ...
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University of the Aegean
The University of the Aegean ( el, Πανεπιστήμιο Αιγαίου) is a public, multi-campus university located in Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, Syros and Lemnos, Greece. It was founded on March 20, 1984, by the Presidential Act 8 ...
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Ancient regions of Anatolia
References
External links
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Lesvos News
Elstat
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Guide of Lesbos Island
News of Mytilene and Lesvos Island
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{{Authority control
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Islands of Greece
Regional units of the North Aegean
Lesbianism
Global Geoparks Network members
Landforms of Lesbos
Islands of the North Aegean
Geoparks in Greece
Territories of the Republic of Genoa
Hellenic Navy bases
Populated places in Lesbos