HISTORY & CULTURE

Nobody can reduce the significance of Limnos in the evolution of the prehistoric civilization of the Northeastern Aegean Sea. Many prehistoric sites exist on the island, which sometimes preserve their prehellenic names. The only site which has been systematically excavated and published is the one on the eastern coast, near the village of Kaminia. The Italian excavators called it Poliochni.
After studying the pottery the site yielded, the archaeologists distinguished seven different habitation levels. In fact, these levels are the different forms of the same face which preserved the features of the land and of the people who lived there.
Poliochni was first inhabited during the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd millennium b.C., 100 or 200 years before Troy was built. At the beginning the settlement was quite limited. But quite soon the insignificant village was developed into a fortified city, the first city which ever existed in Europe.

The fortification and the public buildings indicate the urban character of the site. The wall surrounded the settlement exactly where natural protection was missing. Bastions were formed in order to reinforce its defensive abilities. It was repaired and reinforced each time earthquakes, land-slides or enemy attacks destroyed parts of it. The platforms along the wall used to serve the every-day activities of the inhabitants, such as the streching of skins and draining of grains. The wall served another purpose of no less importance. It specified the boundaries. Vast areas were inconceivable to the prehistoric people and the necessity of their confinement was essential.
Two entrances at the south and south-west allowed the control of the residential area. The west one led to two public buildings, the Granary and the so-called Bouleuterion. The two rows of benches, which used to serve the meetings of the community, make the Bouleuterion quite an impressive building. There were two main roads which were paved. The first began at the west entrance, the other one at the northern section of the settlement. In their junction the central plateia - town square - was formed with a well. These plateies must have been the nucleus of the community's economic and social life, exactly like it happens in the Greek villages today.
The houses were built in clusters. They were rectangular and consisted of two rooms, an ante chamber and a large room with a hearth in it.
A treasure of gold jewellery belongs to one of the last phases of the settlement. It was found hidden in a vase and consists of rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces. Some of the artifacts were found entire, others were broken. All of them are similar to those of the so-called Priam's Treasure, revealed in Troy, which lies exactly opposite Poliochni, in Asia Minor.

The volcanic nature of Limnos was probably the reason why the island was connected to Hephaestos, the ancient god who used to subdue the fire and create impressive works of art. Furthermore, as the Sinties - mythological inhabitants of the island - took care of him when he was thrown from Olympus by this father, Limnos became his favourite land. He built his palace and established his workshop under Mosychlon, a volcano in the centre of the island and used to come here every time he felt neglected. In order to honour him, the people who lived on the island named their main town Hephaestia and to honour him again they organised the Kabeirian Mysteries.
Of all sites which were inhabited during the historical period Hephaestia is the one which is more systematically excavated. It was inhabited from the Bronze Age till the Byzantine period.
The most important architectural remnant within the town is the sanctuary dedicated to the Great Godess of Limnos. It was in use between the 8th and the 6th century b.C. The Great Godess, which is often mentioned by the ancient philological sources, was recognized by the excavators in some of the statuettes found in the sanctuary's repository. Many votive offerings were revealed in this repository. The theatre of Hephaestia was constructed in the Hellenistic times and was repaired later, during the roman period. Hephaestia flourished during the 5th and the 4th century b.C. Athens had conquered the town since 510 b.C. About that time the defensive walls was built. The Latin Cornelius Nepos saved a story of the Athenian occupation.
Nepos talks about Miltiades, the founder of Chersonissos: "When he arrived at Limnos, as he wanted to conquer the inhabitants of the island, he asked them to surrender with their own will to the Athenian authority. Ironically they answered that they would accept such a situation on the condition that Miltiades by depart from his home under Northern wind, could sail to Limnos, knowing that Northern winds are not helpful and quite preventing to somebody sailing from Athens to Limnos. As Miltiades did not have enough time, he continued his trip to Chersonissos. After finishing his work there, he came back to Limnos and demanded from the Limnians to surrender if he could sail to the island from his "home" under a Northern wind. Now, he reminded them that his home was Chersonissos. The Karians who lived on the island at that time did not know what to do. But as they were entrapped, not so much by their promises but the success of their adversary, they did not dare to resist".
During the end of the 3rd or at the beginning of the 4th century A.D. the first Christian community of the island was founded at Hephaestia. The town continued to be the economic centre of the island till the 11th century. At that time the harbour became unserviceable and Venetian merchants settled the neighbouring site, Kotsinas. During the 14th century Hephaestia was just a small and insignificant village.

The Kabeirian mysteries were also related to the worship of Hephaestos. It was believed that the Kabeiroi were tireless assistants of the god in manufacturing those admirable works of art. Their names were Axieros, Axiokersos and Axiokersa.
The sanctuary dedicated to the Kabeiroi, the Kabeirion as it was called was established on the cape of Chloi, exactly opposite the famous Kabeirion of Samothrace. The Kabeirion of Limnos was well known in ancient times. Celebrations used to take place here till the early Christian period. The cape is quite steep and so unapproachable to most people, to those who did not have the right to participate in the mysterious celebrations. The high wall which was built on the landward side made the sanctification area impossible to reach. Telesteria and rooms used for initiations were constructed on two terraces. Repositories accepted the rich offerings. The Kabeirian mysteries lasted 9 days. During these 9 days all the fires were put out on the island and the sacred boat sailed to Delos, which was the island of Apollon, the god who was thought to be the god of light, in order to bring the new light. Till the return of the ship, life on the island was rather unnatural: People did not cook food and the family never sat altogether around the table. They used to invoke the gods who were believed to live under the earth. The day when the sacred ship arrived, bringing the light from Delos, was a day of celebration. This light symbolised the new, purified life. Priests and people initiated were waiting for it on the shore just bellow the Kabeirion - were it is said to be Philoctetis cave - praying for a renovated life.

During the eleven centuries of the Byzantine Empire, Limnos must have been influenced by all the economical and political changes which agitated the empire. Venetians and Geniuses settled the island from time to time and took advantage of its privileged site by routes between Orient and the West Europe, although they did not influence local population either culturally or religiously. As Limnos was a wealthy island and a fairly safe one - there are indications for at least ten medieval fortifications - it attracted the interest of the monasteries of Mount Athos and of Patmos quite early. These monasteries acquired large properties on the island. Just before 1204 the monastery of Megisti Lavra was proud of its possessions in Limnos: 1'3 of the total land and many serfs. Most of the Byzantine family names became Christian names: Doukas, Palaiologos, Komninos, Laskaris, Laskarina.
Limnos was finally conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1479.

On the Bournia gulf one can see a few sheds belonging to fishermen and the church of Zoodochos Pigi. These are whatever remained of an important Byzantine city called Kotsinas.
The name of the city was probably Kokkinos, which in Greek means Red. This name derives from the red clay which was dug nearby and which - as it is said - had medical abilities. The clay could heat effectively dysenteries, hemorrhages, the wounds caused by the snake bites. The fact is that this clay, known as "Limnian earth" to the European travellers - the local population called it "sacred earth" - became a sumptuous good, in great request in the East and West Europe till very recent times. The only ones who had the exclusive right to exploit it were those who dominated the island at the time. Such was the fame of the earth during antiquity that the famous doctor of Hellenistic period, Galinos, came to the island twice in order to attended to the celebrations which took place during the extraction of the earth. These celebrations did not change very much through the ages independently of religious beliefs and aspects. All the dominants respected them, Roman Catholics as well as Moslems.
In antiquity, the extraction took place during the days the when goddess Artemis was honoured at the beginning of May, in the Christian ages on the 6th of August, when people celebrated the Metamorphosis of Our Christ. The Christian aspect of the medical qualities of Limnian earth was saved by a Turkish pirate, the dreadful Piri Reis: "There was once a man named Ferestin, who used to live at the time of Blessed Jesus. This man chose Limnos to settle. But he used to cry and mourn for missing Jesus all day and all night long. One day, on the 7th of August, quite depressed and very tired, as he was going round the island, he arrived at a site and there he cried and mourned more than before. It is said that God created the sacred earth on the spot where his tears fell.

A flourishing Venetian colony was founded by merchants, who had settled at Kotsinos at the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century. These merchants took advantage of the importance of the distinct-blessing Saint Mark and of course benefiting Venezia. In 1136 they demanded from the Limnian bishop Michael, a church in order to attend Mass. This church was probably Agios Vlassis, which was recently renovated in the region of Hephaestia. During 1207-1214 the powerful Venetian family of Navigajiosi built the fortification. This fortification - ruins of which are still visible - is the only one in Hellenic land found not on a natural hill, but on an artificial one. After 1440, the Gattilusi family from Genoa dominated Kotsinas. During the siege of the city in 1442 by the Turks, defense was organized by Constandinos Palaiologos, the prince who became the last Byzantine emperor. His wife Aikaterini Gattelusi was pregnant. She could not endure the sufferings and deprivations of the siege. She died and was buried here, somewhere in the fortress which belonged to her family. In 1478 the Turks sieged Kotsinas once again. This time the town was protected by Maroula, a young woman who lived here. Her father was the Greek governor of the island. After his death during the conflicts, Maroula organized the defense of the site. It is said that at the military archives of Venezia, one can still see the document that proposed to Maroula to marry the Venezian Chevalier she would choose. The town of Venezia promised to supply Maroula's dowry.

The church of Zoodochos Pigi which existed in the interior of the castle was recently renovated. Since 1415 it is referred to, as Zoodochos Pigi of Syngellos, an independent monastery. Ancient steps, quite deteriorated begin from the ante-temple and lead to an underground vault. In this room exists a holy water spring. In fact the spring is whatever remained of a water-supply construction once used by the castle during sieges. There is a tale about this water: Once a queen of the island tried to hide there when her enemies were running after her. The enemies reached her in this place and she turned into stone. She is the one who confuses anybody who insists to count the steps. They seem to be sometimes 84, sometimes 64 sometimes 57 and sometimes 51.

The castle of Myrina is known as Paleocastro, which in Greek means "the old castle" in order to be distinguished from the one in Kotsinas.
It was built in 1186 by the Byzantine emperor Andronikos Komninos, who used principally Venetian workmen. This is why often the castle is considered to be Venetian. It was constructed on older sections of walls, probably archaic ones. These older sections - excellent pieces of Cyclopean walls - are visible exactly opposite the main entrance, as well as in the interior. Architectural remains of older buildings were used in many spots as buildings material. The castle we see today was constructed during the Ottman Empire, but if someone looks closer, he will see the sections built by Andronikos.
One can enter by the side of the harbour, which is the main entrance. An impressive paved road brings to a terrace, where the ruins of a mosque are preserved. The second entrance, from the side of Romeikos Gialos, called Mavrochani, is hardly visible from a distance. Along the length of the walls, strong bastions, some of them still in a quite good condition, reinforce it.
The many reconstructions of this castle no doubt indicate its importance for the defense of the island and generally the control of N.E Aegean Sea. During 1207-1214 the Great Duke of Limnos Filocalo Navigajiosi repaired it, in 1361 Georgios Sinadinos Astras, who was Governor of the island at that period, in 1470-1477 Francesco Pasqualingo… One of the last times the castle was used was in 1770 when Russian army under A.Orlof tried to conquer it in order to liberate the island from the Turks.
This was impossible, so the Russians raised off the siege and left the island without offering any kind of help to local population. Today the only inhabitants of the castle are about 200 deers. The Municipality of Myrina cares about their food and water.