botany in the process of studying the wildlife in the wetlands of the Golf of
Kalloni, located at the center of the island. Ancient sources also speak about
the presence of a Hebrew community on the island.
Roman Era
Lesbos is linked to the personal history of two major figures of Roman History,
namely Julius Cesar and Pompei. Julius Caesar gave his first battle on the is-
land, while Pompei admired the magnificence of the ancient theatre of Mytilene
which he visited and ordered the erection of identical stone theatres in Rome.
Medieval History
During the Byzantine and Ottoman era Lesbos gradually declined both eco-
nomically and culturally due to the repeated attacks of pirates and plunder-
ers, mostly Arabs. It is not a coincidence that the Orthodox Church canon-