Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/407

 MYTILENE. The first passage in which the history of Mytilene comes prominently into view is in the struggle be- tween the Aeolians and Athenians for Sigeum (b.c. 606), at the NW. corner of Asia Minor. The place and the time are both remarkable, as illustrating the early vigour with which Mytilene was exercising its maritime and political power. We see it already grasping considerable possessions on the mainland, it was in this conflict, too, that Pittacus, the sage and lawgiver of Mytilene, acted so noble a part, and that Alcaeus, her great poet, lost his shield. The mention of these two names reminds us that this time of rivalry with Athens coincides with the famous internal contests of the nobles and commons in Mytilene. For the history and results of this struggle, see the lives of Alcaeus, Pittacus, and Sappho, in the Diet, of Biography. It may be difficult to disentangle the history of the Mytilenaeans from that of the Aeolians in ge- neral, during the period of the Persian ascendancy on these coasts. But we have a proof of their mer- cantile enterprise in the fact that they alone of the Aeolians took part in the building of the Hellenium at Naucratis (Herod, ii. 178); and we find them taking a prominent part in the invasion of Egypt by Cambyses. (lb. iii. 13, 14.) They supjilied a con- tingent to Darius in his Scythian expedition (lb. iv. 97). They were closely connected with the affairs of Histiaeus (lb. vi. 5); and doubtless, though they are not separately mentioned, they were the best portion of those Aeolians who supplied sixty ships to Xerxes in his invasion of Greece. (lb. vii. 95.) The period of the Athenian supremacy and the Peloponnesian War is full of the fame of Mytilene. The alliance of its citizens with those of Athens began soon after the final repulse of Persia. They held a very distinguished position among the allies which formed the Athenian confederacy ; but their revolt from Athens in the fourth year of the Peloponnesian War brought upon them the most terrible ruin. Though the first dreadful decision of the Athenian assembly was overruled (Thucyd. iii. 36), the walls of Mytilene were pulled down, and her fleet given up; her teiTitory was divided among Athenian share- holders, and she was deprived of her possessions and forts on the mainland. (lb. iii. 50.) Towards the close of the Peloponnesian War, Conon ■was defeated by Callicratidas off Mytilene, and block- aded in the harbour. (Xen. Hell. i. 6.) We pass now to the period of Alexander, with whose campaigns this city was conspicuoitsly connected. The Lesbians made a treaty with Macedonia. Memnon reduced the other cities of the island ; and his death, which in- flicted the last blow on the Persian power in the Aegean, took place in the moment of victory against Mytilene. It was retaken by Hegesilochus, in the course of his general reduction of the islands, and received a large accession of territory. Two Myti- lenaeans, Laomedon and Erigyius, the sons of Larichus, were distinguished members of Alexander's staff. The latter fell in action against the Bactrians ; the former was governor of Syria even after Alexander's death. The first experience of the Roman power in the Aegean was di>astrous to Mytilene. Having espoused the cause of Iklithridates, and having held out to the last, it was sacked by M. Thermus, on which oc- casion J. Caesar honourably distinguished himself. Pompey's friendship with Theophanes led to the recognition of Mytilene as a free city. (Plin. v. 31.) Alter the defeat of Pharsalia, Pompey touched there MYTISTP.ATUS, 391 for the last time to take Cornelia on board. His .son Sextus met with a friendly reception there, after his defeat at sea, by Agrippa. (Dion Cass. xlix. 17; App. B. C. v. 133.) Agrippa himself resided there for some time in retirement, ostensibly on account of his health, but really through mortification caused by the preference shown to M. Marcellus (Tac. A nn. xiv. 53; ^'ORi. Awj. 66, Tih. 10); and this resi- dence is commemorated by an inscription still extant. (See Pococke.) The last event which we need mention in the imperial period is the crossing over of Germanicus with Agrippina from Euboea to Lesbos, and the birth of Julia. (Tac. ^?i?j. ii. 54.) This event, also, was commemorated both by coins and inscriptions. (See Eckhel and Pococke.) It appears that the privilege of freedom was taken away by Vespasian, but restored by Hadrian. (Plehn, Leshiac. p. 83.) Jlytileiie is one of the few cities of the Aegean, which have continued without intermission to flouri^h till the present day. In the course of the middle ages it gradually gave its name to the whole island. Thus, in the Synecdemus of Hierocles, MirvKrii'ij and MeBvfMva are both mentioned under the Pi-o- vince of the Islands ; but in the later Byzantine division, Mytilene is spoken of as an island, like Lemno.s and Chios, in the Theme of the Aegean Sea. (Const. Porphyrog. de Them. i. pp. 42, 43, ed. Bonn.) The fortunes of BIytilene during the first advances of the Mahomedans in the Levant, and during the ascendancy of the Venetians at a later period, are noticed in Finlay's Histoi-y of the Byzantine and Greek Emjnres, vol. ii. pp. 72, 171, 223. The island of Lesbos was not actually part of the Ma- homedun empire till nearly ten years after the fall of Constantinople. With the exception of the early struggles of the time of Alcaeus and Pittacus, there is little to be said of the internal constitutional history of Jlytilene. It shared, with all Greek cities, the results of the struggles of the oligarchical and democratical parties. We find a commonalty (5a/ios) and a council (JioAAa) mentioned on coins of the period of Alexander ; and the title of magistrates, called (TrpaT-rjyds (praetor), appears on coins of Lucius Verus. In connection with this part of the subject we may allude to two creditable laws ; one which enacted (doubtless in consequence of the great quantity of wine in the island) that offences committed by the drunk should be more severely punished than tkose committed by the sober (Arist. Pol. ii. 9. 9) ; the other making a singular provision for the punishment of faithless- ness in tributaiy allies, by depriving them of the privilege of educating their children. (Aelian, Im: Eist. vii. 15.) [J. S. H.] COIN OF MYTILENE. MYTI'STRATUS (MuTicTTparos, Steph. B., Diod.; MovriffTpaTOS, Zonar. ; rh MvTTiarpaTov, Pol. : Eth. Mutustratinus, Plin.), a town in the inte- rior of Sicily, the position of which is wholly unccr- c c 4