Lemnos came into view during a natural cosmogony, million years ago, through tongues of flames of prehistoric volcanoes’ fire. However, human presence counts more than 6,000 years.
The island lies exactly in the centre of N. Aegean, in equal distance from Hellespont and Mount Athos. It consists of numerous gulfs with safe anchorages throughout the four dimension points, and it constituted a sea crossroads in transportations from North to South and from East to West. It was sung by Homer and is known since ancient years for its technological civilization.
Argonautic and Trojan circles emphasize embossedly its importance, while its key geographical position played a determinative role in fluctuations of its historic fate.
Its name
Its name, which remained unchangeable throughout the centuries, originates from the Phoenician word “white”. As it is low and treeless, it strikes as whitish/ white from afar.
Other names
Sintiis: from the name of its first dwellers.
Hypsipylaea: that was the name of its legendary queen.
Aethalea, Pyroessa and Vulcania: for its volcanic nature.
Dipolis: name of classic years, when Myrina and Hephaestia were developed.
Hephaestus: a patron god
So, Hephaestus, chief metallurgist of Olympian gods, sets up his workshop in Lemnos and becomes its patron god. Besides, it couldn’t be different: the island has volcanic composition of the soil and is not far away from mine resources of Black Sea and Asia Minor.
Aim of the Argonautic expedition was the awareness of special knowledge of metallurgy, a well-kept secret by its possessors in the far Kolchida.
The connection of iron with the name of Sintiis, the first dwellers of Lemnos that welcomed Hephaestus, is obvious. Moreover, today’s place names and especially the one of the small island N.W. of Lemnos, which is called Sidiritis or Sergitsi, testifies that this is true.
Cabeiri
They were considered to be children (or according to other students, grandchildren) of Hephaestus and nymph Cabeirus and were worshiped in Lemnos as gods of sea, fertility and vine. They were represented as crabs, the claws of which had been connected with the pincers of the metallurgist.
Cabeiri mysteries
It constituted a glorious annual feast commemorating Cabeiri, at the homonymous sanctuary of gods, and was connected with the revival of nature and fertility of land. The initiation of believers had taken place during the night and after purifications, at the sanctuary, which was considered to be a “fearful” place. The feast was lasting for nine days and till the arrival of the ship with the holy flame from Delos, fires and hearts of fires remained dead in the whole island. The reception of the flame was festive, with prayers and consecration, while the rhythm of life was changing immediately. This ceremony drew elements from the ancient rites of Pyrforia, during which the discovering of fire by Sintiis was “revived”. Non-initiates were forbidden the entrance to the sanctuary of Cabeiri and disobedience was punished with death. Olympia, mother of Alexander the Great, is considered to be one of the most famous and powerful members of Cabeiri mysteries.
Sovereigns and conquerors
The conclusion, arising from mythological and historical texts, is that ancient world had shown a keen interest on Lemnos and its advanced civilization. Kares dominated over the island after Sintiis. Then, Cretans came to the island, which where welcomed friendlily by people of Lemnos. The king of Cretans, Radamanthys, gave them Thoantas, son of god Dionysus and Arianne, who became the first king of Lemnos, by way of thanks for their politeness and hospitality. Around 1200 B.C., Minyes settled in the island, a commercial and seafaring people from Thessaly and Magnesia. Later, the king of Iolkos, Kritheas, in order to use Lemnos as an intermediary station to his colonizing trips towards Asia Minor and Black Sea, gave his daughter Myrina as a wife to Thoantas,.
Tribulations of Lemnos
In the reign of Thoantas, the island was dominated by women’s regime, with his daughter Hypsipylaea being at the head of it. Men reacted, but their women misled them by fraud, render them drunk, killed them and heaved them in the sea. Later, when Argonauts, travelling to Kolchida, made an intermediary station in Lemnos (eventually, they stayed there for three years), they were warmly received and got married with them. Hypsipylaea took their leader Jason in marriage and gave birth to the Homeric king Evnios.
During the period of Trojan war
Achaeans going to Troy stopped in the island and left Philoktitis there, who was bitten by the snake of the sanctuary of goddess Chrysie and his leg stank unbearable. They took him back twelve years later and went to Troy, because according to the oracles of seer Elenos, only with his weapons (Hercules’s arrows) they could seize it. He is the hero that inspired our three tragic poets – the tragedy of “Philoktitis”, of Sophocles, is preserved in full till nowadays.
Chronicle
• Pelasgics, who were relatives of Tyrrineoi and Etruscans of Italy, seize Lemnos in 1000 B.C. In 511 B.C., the island is occupied by Persians, but in 479 B.C., the fleet of Athenians forced them out of the island definitely.
• During Macedonian domination, it is conquered by Phillip, in 353 B.C., but he gives it back to Athenians.
• During Roman domination, the island is conquered by Romans, in 166 B.C.
• In Byzantine years, it belongs administratively to “Thema” of Aegean Sea and constitutes a particular diocese – Stratigios, who participated in the 1st Ecumenical Synod in Nice, is mentioned as its first bishop.
• From 267 to 269 A.D., the island suffers the devastated raids of Goths and Herules.
• In 900 A.D., Lemnos is ravaged by the notorious apostate pirate Leontas Tripolitis (El-Zourafa).
• In 924 A.D., the Byzantine admiral Ioannis Radinos crushes the fleet of pirates and frees Lemnos and the rest of Aegean islands, from Saracens.
• In 1207 A.D., it comes under the authority of the eminent Venetian family of Philokalos Navigagiozi.
• Many adventures intervene and the island falls into the hands of Genouates Gatelouzi, who dominate since 1355 in neighboring Lemnos.
• After a century, in 1460, Ottomans seize Lemnos and yield it together with Imvros to the bishop Dimitrios Paleologos, who recognizes their suzerainty.
• In 1478, Souleiman Pashas besieges the castle of Kotsinas. Maroula, daughter of the killed provost marshal, removes Ottomans from the island, becomes a legend and is called “armed Pallada” and “Jean d’ Arc of Lemnos”.
• During the long-lasting Ottoman domination, the island suffers devastating consequences, not only from the new Venetian-Turkish war, from 1684 to 1699, but also from the Russian war, from 1768 to 1774 and 1787 till 1792. Venetians seize the island only for a while.
• The Russian fleet appears in Lemnos during the first Russian-Turkish war, in 1770, under Alexios Orlof, and starts seizing the castle, where Turkish people of the capital are closed in. The siege, by land and sea, lasts three months.
• The surrender of the castle is ready, through an agreement, when suddenly 3,000 Turks disembark at the island, under Kapoudan pasha Chashan Jejaerlis, put Russians to rout and immediately commit acts of violence against Greek people.
• With the beginning of the 1st Balkan war, in October 1912, the island is liberated by the admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis, leader of Greek fleet.
• During the 1st World War, 250 English-French warships lie at anchor the sea of Moudros and from there they start an expedition, lasting several months, against Kallipolis, in order to relieve Russians, who suffer from serious wounds by Germans.
• The truce of Moudros is known and is signed in October 1918 by the allies and defeated Turkey. The end of the 1st World War is signaled.
• In April 1941, the island is seized by Germans and stays under their occupation till October 1944.
Poliochni: the most ancient city of Europe
• The summer of 1930, the Archaeological School of Athens discovered the prehistoric city of Poliochni, which is considered to be the most ancient of Europe. It constitutes a settlement that passed from many phases of architectural and cultural development, in a period of time that lasted from 5000 B.C. till 1600 B.C., when it was devastated, obviously, by geological causes (rise in level of Aegean, etc.).
Metal objects (matrices, casts, mineral hoppers, stone hammer-hatchet) that were found there and date back to the beginning of 3rd millennium B.C., but also proofs that these weapons and tools were constructed on the spot, testify that Lemnos became very early an important metallurgical centre and played very significant role in Aegean matters. The wealth, concentrated by the process and trading of its metals and know-how, is reflected in high level architecture and urban planning of Poliochni.
The first parliament of the world
The Communal Store and Assembly Hall (parliament), discovered by the archaeological mattock, prove that Lemnos was the first to introduce institutions of joint governing in Aegean and in world generally.
• 12 more prehistoric settlements, traces of which were found in the island, the city of Hephaestia, the sanctuary of Cabeiri, the Byzantine Kotsinas, the archaeological findings of archaic, classic, Hellenistic, roman and medieval years, and also the remains of monasteries and dependencies of Mount Athos, reveal a civilization of total duration 6,000 years approximately.