Mithymna
Encyclopedia
Mithymna (ˈmiθimna) is a former municipality
on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. The second most important town of the island, it is located NE of Eressos, N of Plomari
and NW of Mytilene
.
The town (pop. 1,497 at 2001 census) is on the northern part of the island, just some 6 km north of the popular beach town of Petra
. One of the most noticeable features of the town is the old Genoese
fortress on the hill in the middle of the town.
The municipal unit of Míthymna stretches eastward from the town along the northern part of the island; it is the island's smallest municipal unit in land area at 50.166 km². Its population was 2,433 at the 2001 census. The next largest towns in the municipal unit are Árgennos (pop. 240) and Sykaminéa (207).
that identified an eponym
ous Methymna (Greek: Μήθυμνα), the daughter of Macar
and married to the personification of Lesbos; this mythologized social geography appears on the city's coinage http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/lesbos/methymna/t.html.) In the Peloponnesian War
, Methymna played an important role (Thucydides
, III, ii, 18; vi, 85; vii, 57; Xenophon
, Hellen., I, vi, 14). The poets praised the excellent wine of Methymna (Virgil
, Georgics
, II, 90; Ovid
, Ars Amatoria, I, 57; Horace
, Satire II, 8, 50; Odes, I, 17, 21). Methymna was the birthplace of the legendary poet Arion
and probably also of the historian Myrsilus. Here was the shrine of the hero Palamedes
, mentioned in the early third-century AD Life of Apollonius of Tyana
(book v.13).
As a Christian city, Methymna was the seat of a bishop. In 640, Methymna was mentioned in the Ecthesis, pseudographically attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis
, as an autocephalous archdiocese, and around 1084, it was made a metropolitan see under Alexius I Comnenus. The Fourth Crusade
brought Latin control, on the strength of which the Roman Catholic Church
maintains a purely titular see
of Methymna; there were 40 Roman Catholics in 1908. (CE)
The fortress was probably constructed after the mid-13th century, as a defense against Franks and Turks alike.
The Ottomans took the city in 1462. As Molivo under the Ottoman Empire
, the city was a kaza of the sanjak
of Metelin in the vilayet of Rhodes
. After the defeat of the Ottomans in the First Balkan War
(1913), Greece
annexed Lesbos in 1914.
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. The second most important town of the island, it is located NE of Eressos, N of Plomari
Plomari
Plomari is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the only sizable coastal settlement in the south, and indeed the second largest town on...
and NW of Mytilene
Mytilene
Mytilene is a town and a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital of the island of Lesbos. Mytilene, whose name is pre-Greek, is built on the...
.
The town (pop. 1,497 at 2001 census) is on the northern part of the island, just some 6 km north of the popular beach town of Petra
Petra, Lesbos
Petra is a former municipality on the island of Lesbos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Lesbos, of which it is a municipal unit...
. One of the most noticeable features of the town is the old Genoese
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
fortress on the hill in the middle of the town.
The municipal unit of Míthymna stretches eastward from the town along the northern part of the island; it is the island's smallest municipal unit in land area at 50.166 km². Its population was 2,433 at the 2001 census. The next largest towns in the municipal unit are Árgennos (pop. 240) and Sykaminéa (207).
History
As Methymna, the city was once the prosperous second city of Lesbos, with a founding mythFounding myth
A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nation's past. Such myths often serve as an important national symbol and affirm a set of national values. A national myth may sometimes take the form of a national epic...
that identified an eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Methymna (Greek: Μήθυμνα), the daughter of Macar
Macareus (son of Helios)
In Greek mythology, Macareus was one of the Heliadae, sons of Helios and Rhodos. Macareus and his brothers, Triopas, Actis and Candalus, were jealous of a fifth brother, Tenages's, skill at science, so they killed him and had to escape from Rhodes upon discovery of their crime...
and married to the personification of Lesbos; this mythologized social geography appears on the city's coinage http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/lesbos/methymna/t.html.) In the Peloponnesian War
Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War, 431 to 404 BC, was an ancient Greek war fought by Athens and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Historians have traditionally divided the war into three phases...
, Methymna played an important role (Thucydides
Thucydides
Thucydides was a Greek historian and author from Alimos. His History of the Peloponnesian War recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 BC...
, III, ii, 18; vi, 85; vii, 57; Xenophon
Xenophon
Xenophon , son of Gryllus, of the deme Erchia of Athens, also known as Xenophon of Athens, was a Greek historian, soldier, mercenary, philosopher and a contemporary and admirer of Socrates...
, Hellen., I, vi, 14). The poets praised the excellent wine of Methymna (Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
, Georgics
Georgics
The Georgics is a poem in four books, likely published in 29 BC. It is the second major work by the Latin poet Virgil, following his Eclogues and preceding the Aeneid. It is a poem that draws on many prior sources and influenced many later authors from antiquity to the present...
, II, 90; Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Ars Amatoria, I, 57; Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Satire II, 8, 50; Odes, I, 17, 21). Methymna was the birthplace of the legendary poet Arion
Arion
Arion was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb: "As a literary composition for chorus dithyramb was the creation of Arion of Corinth," The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth...
and probably also of the historian Myrsilus. Here was the shrine of the hero Palamedes
Palamedes
Palamedes could refer to:*Palamedes , the son of Nauplius in Greek mythology*Palamedes , a Saracen Knight of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend...
, mentioned in the early third-century AD Life of Apollonius of Tyana
Apollonius of Tyana
Apollonius of Tyana was a Greek Neopythagorean philosopher from the town of Tyana in the Roman province of Cappadocia in Asia Minor. Little is certainly known about him...
(book v.13).
As a Christian city, Methymna was the seat of a bishop. In 640, Methymna was mentioned in the Ecthesis, pseudographically attributed to Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
, as an autocephalous archdiocese, and around 1084, it was made a metropolitan see under Alexius I Comnenus. The Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
brought Latin control, on the strength of which the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
maintains a purely titular see
Titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular bishop", "titular metropolitan", or "titular archbishop"....
of Methymna; there were 40 Roman Catholics in 1908. (CE)
The fortress was probably constructed after the mid-13th century, as a defense against Franks and Turks alike.
The Ottomans took the city in 1462. As Molivo under the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, the city was a kaza of the sanjak
Sanjak
Sanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
of Metelin in the vilayet of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
. After the defeat of the Ottomans in the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
(1913), Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
annexed Lesbos in 1914.
Historical Population
| Year | Village population | Municipality population |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,427 | - |
| 1991 | 1,333 | 2,359 |
| 2001 | 1,497 | 2,433 |
External links
- Official website
- Lesvos Photo Guide
- http://lesvos.com/molyvos.html
- Lesvos Calendars
- Methymna Fortress
- Ancient coinage of Methymna - Wildwinds | Asia Minor Coins
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Methymna (cited as CE)