Listed 5 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "MITHYMNA Ancient city LESVOS".
Methymna (Molybos) is at the N end of Lesbos, ca. 61 km NW of Mytilene. It was the next most powerful city state on the island after Mytilene. During the war between Athens and Sparta Methymna always opposed Mytilene and tended to resist the hegemony of whichever side was favored by Mytilene. Before the time of Herodotos Methymna had taken over Arisba by force, and in 167 B.C. when the Romans destroyed Antissa, they gave her territory to Methymna. Some archaeological discoveries were made in Methymna in the 19th c., and after WWI traces of an ancient settlement dating from as early as the 7th or possibly 8th c. B.C. and continuing to Roman times were found at Dambia, NW of the present town.
This extract is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites, Princeton University Press 1976. Cited June 2003 from Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
(Methumna and Methumna, the first form being the better). The second city of Lesbos, standing at the northern extremity of the island. It was the birthplace of the poet Arion and of the historian Hellanicus. The celebrated Lesbian wine grew in its neighbourhood. In the Peloponnesian war it remained faithful to Athens, even during the great Lesbian revolt; afterwards it was sacked by the Spartans (B.C. 406), and never recovered its former prosperity.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Methymna, Molivos, Molybos, Methymnaeans, Methymnaean, Methymnians, Methymnian, Methymne
Methumna, and on coins Methumna, Mathumna: Eth. Methumnaios. A town
in Lesbos, the most important next after Mytilene. It was situated on the northern
shore of the island, where a channel of 60 stadia (Strab. xiii. p. 618) intervened
between it and the coast of the mainland near Assos.
One of the earliest notices of the Methymnaeans is the mention of
their conquest of Arisba, another town of Lesbos, and their enslaving of its citizens.
(Herod. i. 151.) The territory of Methymna seems to have been contiguous to that
of Mytilene, and this may have been one cause of the jealousy between the two
cities. The power and fame of Mytilene was on the whole far greater; but in one
period of the history of Lesbos, Methymna enjoyed greater prosperity. She did
not join the revolt of the other Lesbians from Athens in the Peloponnesian War
(Thuc. iii. 2, 18), and she was therefore exempted from the severe punishment
which fell on Mytilene. (Thuc. iii. 50.) Hence she retained the old privilege
of furnishing a naval contingent instead of a tribute in money. (Thuc. vi. 85,
vii. 57.) Shortly before the battle of Arginusae, Methymna fell into the power
of the Lacedaemonians, and it was on this occasion that the magnanimous conduct
of Callicratidas presented so remarkable a contrast to that of the Athenians in
reference to Mytilene. (Xen. Hellen. i. 6. § 14.) After this time Methymna seems
to have become less and less important. It comes into notice, however, in every
subsequent period of history. It is mentioned in the treaty forced by the Romans
(B.C. 154) between Attalus II. and Prusias II. (Polyb. xxxiii. 11.) It is stated
by Livy (xlv. 31) and by Pliny (v. 31) to have incorporated the inhabitants of
Antissa with its own. Its coins, both autonomous and imperial, are numerous. It
was honourably distinguished for its resistance to the Mahomedans, both in the
12th and 15th centuries; and it exists on the same spot at the present day, under
the name of Molivo.
We have no information concerning the buildings and appearance of
ancient Methymna. It evidently possessed a good harbour. Its chief fame was connected
with the excellent wine produced in its neighbourhood. (Virg. Georg. ii. 90; Ovid,
Art. Am. i. 57; Hor. Sat. ii. 8. 50.) Horace (Od. i. 117. 21) calls Lesbian wine
innocens; and Athenaeus (ii. p. 45) applies the epithet eustomachos to a sweet
Lesbian wine. In another place (i. p. 32) he describes the medicinal effect of
the wine of this island. Pliny says (xiv. 9) that it had a salt taste, and apparently
mentions this as a merit. Pausanias, in his account of Delphi (x. 19), tells a
story of some fishermen of Methymna dragging in their nets out of the sea a rude
image of Bacchus, which was afterwards worshipped. Methymna was the birthplace
of the poet and musician Arion. Myrsilus also, who is said to have written a history
of Lesbos, is supposed to have been born here.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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