Lesbos (in Greek old Λέσϐος Lésbos , in Greek modern Λέσβος Lésvos ), often also called name of its capital Mytilène , is largest of the Greek islands off the coasts of Asia Mineure. The Nome of Lesbos includes/understands also the islands of Límnos and Agios Efstratios and belonged to the Périphérie of Égée-Septentrional.
The island presents several centers of interest, in particular cultural (ancient vestiges), geological, gastronomical and religious.
Lesbos is mountainous; the mount Lepetymnos (967 m) and the Olympe mount dominate north and the center. Its volcanic origin appears by the presence of several hot sources.
History
Legends
It would have been colonized by the son of Agamemnon which establishes there a colony which becomes most powerful of the Æolide. Pausanias claims that Penthilus wire of Oreste, was that which seized the island.Macar, a son of Photogravure according to the legend, was the first Ionian king of this island.
Antiquity
The island would have had several names, which are reported to us by Pline Old the (author and Roman naturalist , 23 - 79) and Strabon (Greek geographer , v. -57 front J. - C 21 a. J. - C) which are: Pelasgia (because its first occupants would be Pélasges), Macaria which would come from Macarée wire of Éole, Issa which would come from Resulting wire of Macarée and finally Lesbos which would come from Lesbus, grandson of Æole, son-in-law of Macarée.At the beginning of its history the island is divided in several rival cities (it counted to nine important cities), of which Mytilène and Méthymne. It is Mytilène which ends up carrying it and arranging the other cities under its authority. The history of the island merges then with that of its capital, which was one of the centers of the wind population . Lesbos absorbed thereafter the small kingdom of Lemnos.
As much of city-state Greek, Lesbos is directed since Mytilène by tyrants: Mélandros (or Mélanchros, -612/-608) which is assassinated, then Myrsilos (or Myrsilé, -608/-595). They follow one another of coup d'etat in coup d'etat. Alcée takes part in one of those, the purpose of which is to reverse the tyranny of Myrsilos, but the conspirators fail and Alcée is obliged to withdraw itself with Pyrrha. Then it leaves Lesbos and goes in Thrace. With died of Myrsilos, Alcée composes its most known worms, by which it celebrates the death of the Tyrant.
The tyranny of follows Pittacos (or Pittagos or Pittacus, -595/-585), wire of Hyrradios, which had taken share him also with the coup d'etat against Myrsilos. Its “reign” lasts only one ten years, but for this period, it restores peace and reorganizes the State. It puts an end to the privileges aristocracy and allows Sappho, Alcée and its brothers to return in Lesbos. We have little information proven on this politician, who was one of the Wise Seven, because much of legends surround its name. He voluntarily abdicates and saw ten more years; Mytiléniens gave him a ground, which it devoted to the Gods and who bears his name now.
The island, more particularly Méthymne and Mytilène, is member of the Ligue of Délos (-477/-4 04) and according to Thucydide (politician and historian Athénien) during the Peloponnesian War (-431/-404), Lesbos (except Méthymne) gives up the camp of the Athenians what is worth to him, in -428, to be punished firmly.
Later, a transitory tyrant, Aristonicos (-334/-333) of Méthymne, are installed with the head of the city by Memnon of Rhodos (v. -380/-333). Favorable to the Persian Achéménides and hostile with Alexandre Large the (-336/-323), it is made prisoner with Chios.
Famous characters of antiquity
Poets:- Alcée (v. -640 /v. -600) and his/her brother Antiménidas,
- Anacréon (v. -550/-464),
- Arion (),
- Sappho (or Sapho, v. -640 /-v. -600),
- Théophraste (or Tyrtamos or Tyrtame, -3 72/-287),
- Terpandre (v. -700 /v. -650),
- the rhetorician Diophanes and contemporary the Théophane historian of the Romain Pompée (-106/-48) were born in Lesbos.
Strabon adds to this list, the historian Hellanicos (-495/-411).
Anacréon refers to Lesbos in a way which suggests that it was famous for its female homosexual practices.
Lesbos is also known in the ancient world for excellent quality of its structural wines and its timber for the ships and by its very estimated light blue marble, which decorated many buildings and was also used for manufacture of the vases.
Other periods
August 1st
A site of exception, the petrified forest
At the end of the island, opposed to the airport, close to the small port of Sigri, in a place where curiously the marine winds today prevented any tree from pushing, on the ground the vestiges of a gigantic forest rest, the petrified trunks of a forest of another age.
The small town of Plomari, Greek capital of the ouzo
Several houses among most famous which produce the Ouzo consumed by all the Greeks of the whole world began their adventure in an any small town with the narrow lanes. The city counts several distillings.
An island of important pilgrimages
The island counts today three pilgrimages which, the feastdays attract crowd:- Close to Mytilène the tombs of the saints Raphaël, Nicolas and Irene de Mytilène
- the monastery of Madamados, close to the North-eastern coast of the island, is the most important Greek pilgrimage with the archangel Michel which is the owner of the island. It is besides the day of the Saint-Michel which the island was released from the Turkish domination in 1912.
- Close to Kalloni, the monastery of Lémoni is a center of pilgrimage to saint Ignace de Mytilène, second owner of the island.
The island is also the place where died holy André of Crete, in Éressos and the place where Constantin was born holy Agarénien, in Ypsilométopo.
The fatherland of writers and artists
The island is the fatherland of the poet Odysséas Elýtis, whose airport of Mytilène bears from now on the name. The novellist Stratis Myrivilis was born as for him in the extreme North from the island. The writer and the painter of icons Fotis Kontoglou were born opposite, on the continent, and it took refuge on the island at the time of the great catastrophe. The Parisian editor Thériade and the painter Théophilos left us in Mytilène two very beautiful museums twin. Without forgetting Charles Baudelaire, which writes Lesbos In the Flowers of the evil " Mother of the Latin plays and pleasures grecques" certainly more paid nice homage in the island.
See too
Gallery
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