Although all these subsequent peoples had their own interesting culture, the island had its splendour in the 7th century BC, as it became a centre for art and philosophy. After that, the Athenians, the Macedonians, the Egyptians, the Romans, Byzantines, Genoese, and the Ottomans conquered the island and contributed to the sound cultural development of Lesvos until its liberation in the first years of the 20th century.
To a certain extent, the merge of those cultural sources gave place to particular art manifestations - such as theatre-, which originates from Attica, an Ionic area in Greece. From the ceremonial orgies to the god Dionysos, drama and theater spread all over Lesvos. Drama was of such importance it became an essential institution of Democracy, where authors like Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes raised political debate and criticism to the political institutions of those days.
In the Northern area of
Mytilene, amidst ever green pine woods, the traveller will be amazed to find the ancient theatre of
Mytilene, one of the largest in Greece in Hellenistic times. Big enough to hold 15,000 spectators, and located near the end of a steep old road running along the Asia Minor shelter of Epano Skala, as far as Aghia Kyriaki church, the theatre was built on a hill between 300 and 100 BC..
The locals don’t really know who built this imposing
construction, but they say that it started to deteriorate in Roman times and it was they who did the necessary repairing. It was also during those culturally prosperous times when Pompei visited the
Mytilene theatre of Lesvos in 62 BC and was so enchanted by it that had a similar theatre built in Rome. Modern excavations confirm both the beauty and the importance of
Mytilene theatre, as the ones by D. Evangelides and A. Vavritra found the awesome orchestra pit in 1958.
Although there are no more drama performances at the ancient
Mytilene theatre and the place is considered an archaeological site, it still keeps the vibe of old Hellenistic times. Those who stay on the island cannot leave without visiting this stone construction dating to the third century BC above the North harbour of
Mytilene, to the west.
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