Antissa
Ancient city · Greece
- Abandoned
- unknown
- Founded
- 800 BC
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 39.290, 26.021
Why it was abandoned
🏛️ Ancient ruins
Detected automatically from the text: ancient city on Lesbos, Greece
History
Antissa was a city of the island Lesbos (Lesvos), near to Cape Sigrium, the western point of Lesbos. The place had a harbour. The ruins found by Richard Pococke at Calas Limneonas, a little NE. of cape Sigri, may be those of Antissa. This place was the birthplace of Terpander, who is said to be the inventor of the seven-stringed lyre. According to the local historian Myrsilus of Methymna, local tradition held that the head of Orpheus had floated south from the Hebros after he was decapitated and floated south to land on the shore of Antissan territory: the spot was marked by a tomb where, according to Myrsilus, the nightingales sang more sweetly than they did elsewhere.