city state · Greece and the Aegean
Mytilene
Origins
Aeolian Greeks settled Lesbos around 1000 BCE, and Mytilene grew on the south-east coast of the island, with harbours facing Anatolia. By the 7th century BCE it was the leading city of Lesbos, founding settlements in the Troad and fighting Athens for Sigeion.
Rule and society
Aristocratic feuds and tyrants such as Myrsilus marked the 7th century BCE, ended when Pittacus, one of the Seven Sages, ruled as elected aesymnetes c. 590 to 580 BCE. Sappho and Alcaeus wrote lyric poetry there. Mytilene shared in the Greek trading post at Naucratis, and later belonged to the Delian League as a ship-providing ally.
Decline and legacy
After its revolt of 428 BCE Athens first voted to kill all its men, then relented. Mytilene sided with Mithridates of the Kingdom of Pontus, and its capture by Rome in 79 BCE, where the young Julius Caesar won the civic crown, ended its independence, though Pompey later granted it freedom.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Mytilene was part of Achaemenid Empire527 BCE – 479 BCE
- Mytilene was part of Delian League478 BCE – 427 BCE
- Mytilene was conquered by Athens427 BCE
- Mytilene was conquered by Roman Republic79 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mytilene. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mytilene
- MLA
- “Mytilene.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mytilene. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Mytilene.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mytilene.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mytilene’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mytilene (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻