LEM'NOS ( Gk. Ailepos). One of the tour Thracian islands in the northern part of the Grecian Archipelago, about forty miles west of the entrance to the Dardanelles. It is irregular in shape, and is nearly divided by two deep bays— Port Paradise on the north and Port Saint An thony on the south. Area, 150 square miles. Population. about 30.000. It is hilly, rather bare of wood, but produces grain, tobacco, and fruits. The inhabitants are peaceable and prosperous. The island has been for some time used as a place of exile for political offenders in Turkey. The prin cipal product of Lemnos was formerly the Lemnian, carat. (q.v.), used in ancient and mediwval times as a cure for wounds and serpent-bites, and until recently highly valued by both Turks and Greeks, but the ceremonies with which the earth was ex tracted have been discontinued, and even the knowledge of the earth is likely to be forgotten. The chief town, Elastro (on the site of the ancient Myrina), has a population of 3000. It furnishes excellent sailors. Owing to its situation, Lemnos lung remained hut little influenced by the Greeks. Judging from an inscription found on the isl and. the pre-Hellenic population were akin to the Etruscans. It was conquered for Athens by Miltiades, the tyrant of the Chersonese, oc cupied by the Persians, and again seized by the Athenians along with Imbros, and settled by Athenian colonists. The island was of
great importance to Athens, as its possession secured control of the trade from the Black Sea, and it was recognized as Athenian territory by the Peace of Antalcidas. During the Ilellen istie and Boman periods the island was not prom inent. and it continued under the rule of the em perors of Constantinople until the capture of that city by the Latin crusaders. when it passed under the control of the Genoese princes of Mitylene. Later it fell into the hands of the Venetians. and in 1178 was surrendered to the Turks. The an cient writers speak of the island as volcanic and Mount Moschylos as active. and the place was a centre of the worship of Hephaestus. At present there seem to he no evidences of voleanie action. and it is probable that the volcano has sunk in the sea, and is now represented by a shoal off the eastern coast. C'onsult: Conze. Rise oaf den Inseln des thrakisrlien Herres (Hanover. 1860) ; Tozer, Islands of the _Egran (Oxford], 1890) : dr Lanny, rhe:‘. les (frees dr Turquic 1 1 .