ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ παραλίᾳ τῇ ἀπὸ Λεκτοῦ μέχρι Κανῶν ἀντιπαρατέταται νῆσος ἡ Λέσβος λόγου ἀξία πλείστου, περίκειται δὲ αὐτῇ καὶ νησία τὰ μὲν ἔξωθεν τὰ δὲ καὶ ἐντὸς μεταξὺ αὐτῆς τε καὶ τῆς ἠπείρου, καιρὸς ἤδη περὶ τούτων εἰπεῖν· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτά ἐστιν Αἰολικά, σχεδὸν δέ τι καὶ μητρόπολις ἡ Λέσβος ὑπάρχει τῶν Αἰολικῶν πόλεων. ἀρκτέον δʼ ἀφʼ ὧνπερ καὶ τὴν παραλίαν ἐπήλθομεν τὴν κατʼ αὐτήν.
SINCE Lesbos, a very remarkable island, lies along and opposite to the sea-coast, extending from Lectum to Canae, and since it is surrounded by small islands, some of which lie beyond it, others in the space between Lesbos and the continent, it is now proper to describe them, because they are Aeolian places, and Lesbos is, as it were, the capital of the Aeolian cities. We shall begin where we set out to describe the coast opposite to the island.
ἀπὸ Λεκτοῦ τοίνυν ἐπὶ Ἄσσον πλέουσιν ἀρχὴ τῆς Λεσβίας ἐστὶ κατὰ Σίγριον τὸ πρὸς ἄρκτον αὐτῆς ἄκρον. ἐνταῦθα δέ που καὶ Μήθυμνα πόλις Λεσβίων ἐστὶν ἀπὸ ἑξήκοντα σταδίων τῆς ἐκ Πολυμηδείου πρὸς τὴν Ἄσσον παραλίας. οὔσης δὲ τῆς περιμέτρου σταδίων χιλίων ἑκατὸν ἣν ἡ σύμπασα ἐκπληροῖ νῆσος, τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστα οὕτως ἔχει· ἀπὸ Μηθύμνης εἰς Μαλίαν τὸ νοτιώτατον ἄκρον ἐν δεξιᾷ ἔχουσι τὴν νῆσον, καθʼ ὃ αἱ Κάναι μάλιστα ἀντίκεινται τῇ νήσῳ καὶ συναπαρτίζουσι, στάδιοί εἰσι τριακόσιοι τετταράκοντα· ἐντεῦθεν δʼ ἐπὶ Σίγριον, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῆς νήσου τὸ μῆκος, πεντακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα· εἶτʼ ἐπὶ τὴν Μήθυμναν διακόσιοι δέκα. Μιτυλήνη δὲ κεῖται μεταξὺ Μηθύμνης καὶ τῆς Μαλίας ἡ μεγίστη πόλις, διέχουσα τῆς Μαλίας ἑβδομήκοντα σταδίους, τῶν δὲ Κανῶν ἑκατὸν εἴκοσιν, ὅσους καὶ τῶν Ἀργινουσσῶν, αἳ τρεῖς μέν εἰσιν οὐ μεγάλαι νῆσοι, πλησιάζουσι δὲ τῇ ἠπείρῳ, παρακείμεναι ταῖς Κάναις. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ Μιτυλήνης καὶ τῆς Μηθύμνης κατὰ κώμην τῆς Μηθυμναίας καλουμένην Αἴγειρον στενωτάτη ἐστὶν ἡ νῆσος, ὑπέρβασιν ἔχουσα εἰς τὸν Πυρραίων εὔριπον σταδίων εἴκοσιν. ἵδρυται δʼ ἡ Πύρρα ἐν τῷ ἑσπερίῳ πλευρῷ τῆς Λέσβου, διέχουσα τῆς Μαλίας ἑκατόν. ἔχει δʼ ἡ Μιτυλήνη λιμένας δύο, ὧν ὁ νότιος κλειστὸς τριηρικὸς ναυσὶ πεντήκοντα, ὁ δὲ βόρειος μέγας καὶ βαθύς, χώματι σκεπαζόμενος· πρόκειται δʼ ἀμφοῖν νησίον μέρος τῆς πόλεως ἔχον αὐτόθι συνοικούμενον· κατεσκεύασται δὲ τοῖς πᾶσι καλῶς.
In sailing from Lectum to Assos the Lesbian district begins opposite to Sigrium, its northern promontory. Somewhere there is Methymna, a city of the Lesbians, 60 stadia from the coast, between Polymedium and Assos. The whole island is 1100 stadia in circumference. The particulars are these.
From Methymna to Malia, the most southern promontory to those who have the island on their right hand, and to which Canae lies directly opposite, are 340 stadia. Thence to Sigrium, which is the length of the island, 560 stadia, thence to Methymna 210 stadia.
Mitylene, the largest city, lies between Methymna and Malia, at the distance from Malia of 70 stadia, and from Canae of 120, and as many from the Arginussae islands, which are three small islands near the continent, and situated near Canae. In the interval between Mitylene and Methymna, at a village called Aegeirus in the Methymnaean territory, is the narrowest part of the island, having a passage of 20 stadia to the Pyrrhaean Euripus. Pyrrha is situated on the western side of Lesbos, at the distance of 100 stadia from Malia.
Mitylene has two harbours; of which the southern is a close harbour and capable of holding 50 triremes. The northern harbour is large, and deep, and protected by a mole. In front of both lies a small island, which contains a part of the city. Mitylene is well provided with everything.
ἄνδρας δʼ ἔσχεν ἐνδόξους τὸ παλαιὸν μὲν Πιττακόν, ἕνα τῶν ἑπτὰ σοφῶν, καὶ τὸν ποιητὴν Ἀλκαῖον καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀντιμενίδαν, ὅν φησιν Ἀλκαῖος Βαβυλωνίοις συμμαχοῦντα τελέσαι μέγαν ἆθλον καὶ ἐκ πόνων αὐτοὺς ῥύσασθαι κτείναντα ἄνδρα μαχαίταν βασιληίων / παλαστὰν (ὥς φησιν) ἀπολείποντα μόνον μίαν / παχέων ἀπὺ πέμπων. / συνήκμασε δὲ τούτοις καὶ ἡ Σαπφώ, θαυμαστόν τι χρῆμα· οὐ γὰρ ἴσμεν ἐν τῷ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ τῷ μνημονευομένῳ φανεῖσάν τινα γυναῖκα ἐνάμιλλον οὐδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐκείνῃ ποιήσεως χάριν. ἐτυραννήθη δὲ ἡ πόλις κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τούτους ὑπὸ πλειόνων διὰ τὰς διχοστασίας, καὶ τὰ στασιωτικὰ καλούμενα τοῦ Ἀλκαίου ποιήματα περὶ τούτων ἐστίν· ἐν δὲ τοῖς τυράννοις καὶ ὁ Πιττακὸς ἐγένετο. Ἀλκαῖος μὲν οὖν ὁμοίως ἐλοιδορεῖτο καὶ τούτῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις, Μυρσίλῳ καὶ Μελάγχρῳ καὶ τοῖς Κλεανακτίδαις καὶ ἄλλοις τισίν, οὐδʼ αὐτὸς καθαρεύων τῶν τοιούτων νεωτερισμῶν. Πιττακὸς δʼ εἰς μὲν τὴν τῶν δυναστειῶν κατάλυσιν ἐχρήσατο τῇ μοναρχίᾳ καὶ αὐτός, καταλύσας δὲ ἀπέδωκε τὴν αὐτονομίαν τῇ πόλει. ὕστερον δʼ ἐγένετο χρόνοις πολλοῖς Διοφάνης ὁ ῥήτωρ, καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ Ποτάμων καὶ Λεσβοκλῆς καὶ Κριναγόρας καὶ ὁ συγγραφεὺς Θεοφάνης. οὗτος δὲ καὶ πολιτικὸς ἀνὴρ ὑπῆρξε καὶ Πομπηίῳ τῷ Μάγνῳ κατέστη φίλος μάλιστα διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν ταύτην, καὶ πάσας συγκατώρθωσεν αὐτῷ τὰς πράξεις, ἀφʼ ὧν τήν τε πατρίδα ἐκόσμησε τὰ μὲν διʼ ἐκείνου τὰ δὲ διʼ ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἑαυτὸν πάντων τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπιφανέστατον ἀνέδειξεν· υἱόν τε ἀπέλιπε Μάρκον Πομπήιον, ὃν τῆς Ἀσίας ἐπίτροπον κατέστησέ ποτε Καῖσαρ ὁ Σεβαστός, καὶ νῦν ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἐξετάζεται τῶν Τιβερίου φίλων. Ἀθηναῖοι δʼ ἐκινδύνευσαν μὲν ἀνηκέστῳ ψόγῳ περιπεσεῖν ψηφισάμενοι Μιτυληναίους ἡβηδὸν ἀποσφαγῆναι, μετέγνωσαν δὲ καὶ ἔφθη μιᾷ θᾶττον ἡμέρᾳ τὸ ψήφισμα ἀφιγμένον ὡς τοὺς στρατηγοὺς πρὶν ἢ πρᾶξαι τὸ προσταχθέν.
It formerly produced celebrated men, as Pittacus, one of the Seven Wise Men; Alcaeus the poet, and his brother Antimenidas, who, according to Alcaeus, when fighting on the side of the Babylonians, achieved a great exploit, and extricated them from their danger by killing a valiant warrior, the king’s wrestler, who was four cubits in height. / Contemporary with these persons flourished Sappho, an extraordinary woman; for at no period within memory has any woman been known at all to be compared to her in poetry.
At this period Mitylene was ruled by many tyrants, in consequence of the dissensions among the citizens. These dissensions are the subject of the poems of Alcaeus called Stasiotica (the Seditions). One of these tyrants was Pittacus: Alcaeus inveighed against him as well as against Myrsilus, Melanchrus the Cleanactidae, and some others; nor was he himself clear from the imputation of favouring these political changes. Pittacus himself employed monarchical power to dissolve the despotism of the many, but, having done this, he restored the independence of the city.
At a late period afterwards appeared Diophanes the rhetorician; in our times Potamo, Lesbocles, Crinagoras, and Theophanes the historian. The latter was versed in political affairs, and became the friend of Pompey the Great, chiefly on account of his accomplishments and assistance he afforded in directing to a successful issue all his enterprises. Hence, partly by means of Pompey, partly by his own exertions, he became an ornament to his country, and rendered himself the most illustrious of all the Grecians. He left a son, Mark (Macer?) Pompey, whom Augustus Caesar appointed prefect of Asia, and who is now reckoned among the number of the chief friends of Tiberius.
The Athenians were in danger of incurring irremediable disgrace by passing a decree that all the Mitylenaeans who had attained the age of puberty should be put to death. They, however, recalled their resolution, and the counter-decree reached their generals only one day before the former order was to be executed.
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