Mytilene is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos. During the 7th century BC, Mytilene became the center of the island's politics and trade, and it was well known as the birthplace of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho in 630 BC. In 428 BC, Mytilene revolted against Athens, but the Mytilenean revolt was crushed, and the Athenians came close to ordering the extermination of Mytilene's male population and the enslavement of its women and children; instead, 1,000 citizens were executed for participating in the rebellion. Aristotle lived on Mytilene from 337 to 335 BC, and, in 81 BC, the Roman Republic conquered Mytilene after it revolted against Rome and gave refuge to pirates; Julius Caesar distinguished himself during this battle. In 56 BC, Luke the Evangelist and Saint Paul briefly stopped on the island during their voyage to Chios. By the Middle Ages, Mytilene was home to a significant Jewish community. Mytilene passed through Byzantine, Seljuk, Venetian, Genoese, and Ottoman control before Lesbos became part of Greece in 1912 following the First Balkan War. In 2011, Mytilene had a population of 58,285 people.
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