Culture
Lesvos has enjoyed a sustained cultural tradition through its writers, poets, painters and musicians right up to the present day. In the village of Varia, between the airport and Mytilene are the Teriade & Theophilos Museums. The former houses an amazing collection of works by 20th century artists including Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Le Corbusier and Matisse. The Theophilos Museum displays works by the prolific primitive Greek painter, Theophilos, born in 1873.

Lesvos has long been renowned for its cultural development and as a base for fine arts. It was home to the great philosopher Theophrastus, born in Eresos in 372BC. The beauty of the island has served as an inspiration to poets like Alcaeus and Sappho who presided over Lesvos’ cultural peak in the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Sappho, born in Eresos in 612BC, has been described as the greatest female lyric poet of all time and is considered unrivalled in the passion, sensitivity and subtlety of her poetry. She regarded women as independent individuals; her poems were therefore directed mainly at the female sex. The word ‘lesbian’ stems from these roots. In Sappho’s day Mytilene, the island’s capital, was perhaps the most advanced and civilized city in the ancient world. Lesvos was prosperous, had a remarkable intellectual life and was a considerable sea-power.

The great storyteller, Aesop, was also a native of Lesvos. Among numerous significant natives were the Homeric hero, Palamides, who was the inventor of numbers and letters , musicians Arion and Terpandros, Matriketas the astrologer and Mysilos the historian.

History
Archeological excavations suggest that Lesvos has been inhabited since the Neolithic period at least and, by the Bronze Age, had already developed an extremely advanced civilization, very similar to the Mycenean and Trojan, influenced as it was by its geographical closeness to Troy.

From 1100-1000BC Lesvos flourished and gradually extended its commercial and colonising activities to the shores of Asia Minor. The people were engaged mainly in agriculture and shipping, and the island was considered a major naval power. This eventually led to conflict with the Athenians who, in 427BC, conquered the island and divided it up. It was later conquered by the Spartans, in 323BC by the Egyptians and in 88BC by the Romans. The island flourished under the Romans and Mytilene in particular was vastly improved. Traces of a Roman aqueduct can still be found in Moria just to the north of Mytilene.

After the breakup of the Roman Empire in 300AD Lesvos was incorporated into the Eastern Byzantine State.

In 1084 the island was conquered by the Saracens and was later plundered by the Venetians and the Crusaders. It became part of the Latin Empire before returning to Byzantine rule in 1261. In 1354 Lesvos was ceded as a dowry to the Genoese nobleman Francesco Gattelusi. He was a benevolent ruler and in his time the island’s commercial, artistic and literary life improved as did the lives of the people. Above the castle gate in Mytilene you can still see a shield bearing the Gattelusi coat of arms, together with the double-headed Byzantine eagle. In 1445 the Bulgarians destroyed the flourishing town of Kalloni and in 1462 the island was captured by the Turks. There was mass destruction and the majority of the people were deported or killed, with the population falling from 100,000 to 30,000. Non-Muslims faced crippling taxes and most economic and cultural life ceased.

Under Turkish rule Lesvos became an important base for the Turkish navy. In the late 1700s a shipyard was built in Mytilene and this provided employment for hundreds of islanders. In 1757 the Turks built the castle in Sigri to protect the west of the island from raiders.

The 19th century saw strong economic development, although an earthquake in 1807 caused much damage and loss of life. In 1893 an extensive road network was started.

In the early 20th century there were uprisings against the Turks throughout Greece. As a result of the violent and bloody suppression of these uprisings revolutionaries on Lesvos rose up and in 1912 the Turks were driven out. There is a statue to Papanikolis, the inspirational leader of the revolutionaries, on the sea front in Skala Eresou. In 1914 Lesvos was finally ceded to Greece and has remained under Greek rule ever since, apart from the German occupation between May 1941 and September 1944.

Subsequently a succession of national and local governments of varying political persuasions have focused on providing a good infrastructure which is reflected in the excellent water supply, a good road system and adequate electricity and telephone services. This has facilitated the island’s self-sufficiency and independent attitude.

It is a tribute to the strength and resolve to the people of Lesvos that their traditions, culture and language have survived such a turbulent history. If anything, it seems to have strengthened their love of music, dancing, good humour and life. This love of life very soon captivates visitors to the island.