Listed 7 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "MITHYMNA Small town LESVOS" .
The architectural character of Mithymna is living testimony to a tempestuous
and much-troubled historical continuity. The town, rooted on the rock which is
dominated by the medieval Castle and spreading down to the sea, still retains
its own individual character as that was shaped in the last two centuries of Turkish
rule, particularly in the nineteenth century. It is a traditional type of settlement
which climbs upwards and is flanked by steep cliffs. The medieval Castle is its
point of reference, and it is around this that its fabric is deployed. The castle
itself is not large; it has a perimeter of 310 metres. The development of the
town in a confined space, originally for reasons of defence and also because of
the sharply sloping rock, enforced an exceptional utilisation of the space. Thus,
Molyvos has preserved a complex of paved and cobbled mule paths (kalderimia},
along which the older buildings, often contiguous, make up a dense and cohesive
whole. The amount of open space in the historic nucleus of the town is limited.
The Market lines two streets which converge in a small square. This is the vital
space of the town' s social and economic life. The streets of the market are shaded
with salkimia (foliage) at the dividing line between the ground-floor shops and
the living quarters on the first floor. Most of the traditional buildings are
two-storeyed, with stone and wood as their building materials. Usually the stone
walls have remained unplastered and are pointed with mortar. Often, when the upper
floor is of wood, the walls project beyond the outline of the ground floor and
form sachnisia (oriels). Carved wooden beams support the sachnisia, which serve
to enlarge the central space of the living quarters. In Molyvos, many mansions
dating from the late eighteenth century have survived; examples are the Yannakos
mansion and the building housing the School of Fine Arts (formerly the Krallis
mansion), with elaborate wail-paintings. Many of the town' s buildings have a
neo-Classical morphology. The harmonisation of differing architectural types into
a single organised whole makes Molyvos a place of rare beauty. On the edge of
the town, the picturesque harbour completes the unique picture of Mithymna. The
parish churches are also buildings characteristic of the place. The Basilica of
the Archangel (Taxiarches), which was built in 1795, is one of the most important
architectural monuments of Molyvos. St Panteleimon - built in 1844 - has a number
of neo-classical features. Also a noteworthy example of church architecture is
St Cyriace. In Molyvos, a large number of public fountains, from the time of Ottoman
rule with relief inscriptions and decorations, have been preserved. The Old Baths
building is another architectural monument of the last century. The Mithymna Municipal
Gallery, with an impressive collection of works of art, was set up in 1961. The
Archaeological Collection is housed in the Town Hall, while the Municipal Library
enriches the town's cultural life. Molyvos by providing many limitless sources
of inspiration has always been a point of attraction for many artists, local and
foreign. Many cultural manifestations are organized every year in Mithymna, such
as conventions, lectures, exhibitions of paintings and popular art, theatrical
and folkloric performances.
This extract is cited October 2004 from the URL below, which contains image
MITHYMNA (Ancient city) LESVOS
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
(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
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.
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