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Lesbos Island in Greece

Lesbos Island is an island in the Aegean Sea, 10 kilometers away from Turkey, with an area of ​​1632.8㎞² and a population of about 90,000 people. There are bays in the center and southeast of the island, and a volcanic area in the west, with hot spring eyes and the main peak Lepesimnu. With a height of 968 meters, Lesbos is a Greek island off the coast of Asia Minor.

Name Definition

The literal translation of the name of this island is “the island of lesbians, because this name attracts a large number of specific people from Europe and the United States to travel every year, but this name makes many local people very upset, and some people jointly request to change the island name, this meaning comes from a The famous poetess Sappho. Sappho was born in a noble family on the island of Lesvos. She set up a school to receive noble women, teach them to think and culture, enjoy life, and teach them to appreciate and appreciate beautiful things. affection.

Sappho is the greatest female poet in Greek history. When she was alive, she issued a silver coin with her head on it. Most of her poems describe her private emotional life. Some people have always believed that her love poems were written to her many female students, and many people thought that this was purely over-explanation. With the poet’s surviving materials and few poems, it is impossible to draw any definite conclusions. More than a thousand years later, some feminist writers and lesbian groups took Sappho as the originator, which led to the original simple place names (Lesbian) and people’s names (Sapphic) with lesbian colors.

Geographic Resources

The island of Lesbos is one of the most prosperous regions in Greece, with beautiful and varied landscapes, and its two bays have narrow entrances to the sea. The western half of the island has less vegetation, and some areas even have desert-like scenery. There are many volcanoes and hot springs; the main peak, Lepesimnus, is 968 meters above sea level. Tourists come here mainly to sunbathe and swim on the beach. In stark contrast to the western half, the eastern half facing Asia Minor is luscious and rich in vegetation, with a mild climate and fertile soil. There are virgin forests in the south west. The olive oil from Lesvos is said to be the best quality olive oil in all of Greece.

According to statistics, there are 13 million olive trees planted here. The production and export of olive oil is the main economic operation and source of Lesbos. In addition, the anise distillery here is also famous. Export of olives, leather, wood. There are minerals such as coal, marble and antimony. Due to its proximity to the Dardanelles, maritime transit trade is developed. During the great earthquake of 1867, the city of Mytilene suffered heavy losses, but it has since been restored.

History

Lesbos, with its Greek heritage and Turkish flair, is a peculiar island. At that time, Asia Minor near the Aegean Sea became a colony of Greece, and the Ionian areas such as Lesbos and Samos were the first to come into contact with oriental culture and were the areas where Greece opened up earlier, so the epic poems and lyric poems are here particularly developed. Lesbos became the center of a new culture, producing many famous writers and painters.

The central city of the island is Mitilini. There are many jewelry stores and gold and silver jewelry processing shops in the town, which are very Turkish. But it is different from the style of Zoze Canissos, which is also close to Turkey. The main attractions here are the ruins and walls of the Venetian Republic. The site is located on a hill, and on a sunny day, you can see the Turkish village on the opposite bank near the site. In the north of the island there is the beautiful harbour of Molivas, which is a gathering place for many domestic and foreign artists. There are hot springs 3 kilometers east of the port.

In Thermia on the east coast, archaeologists have unearthed a settlement dating back to around 2700 BC. The historically recorded era began around the 11th century BC. At that time, the various tribes here often waged wars with each other. Around 600 BC, Pittacus was the head of a city-state on the island of Lesbos, and later, he was included in the ranks of the “Seven Wise Men”. The island of Lesbos was occupied by the Persians from 546 to 479 BC. After the Persian War, it joined the Delian League led by Athens. At this time, the status of Lesbos Island was similar to a city-state, with its own independent politics and economy.

In ancient Greece, the island of Lesbos was a highly culturally developed area, especially for its poetry and art world-renowned. Lesbos is the hometown of the famous poet Terpandros. He invented the Lyre. Poems sung on the lyre are called Lyrik. Lyric poetry is called Lyric in most European languages. Lesbosworth is the birthplace of this short lyrical genre. After the great philosopher Aristotle fell in Athens, he came to the island of Lesbos and engaged in research work here.