History of Limnos begins from the ancient times and the first mention to Limnos by its name was by ancient Mykinaic texts. There are many opinions on how Limnos got this name, some say the origin of the name is Phoenician and it means “Λευκή” (white) due to the low mountains and landscape looks white as you aproach it by sea. Others say that it comes from Homers words “Leion” based on the fact that Limnos has many flat farm lands.

Limnos was Athens main supplier of weatand the Byzantium emperors court. According to the legend when Zeus pushed Hefestos the god of fire from Olympus he landed on Limnos. The people of Limnos helped him and Hefestos to thank them he tought them his art.
The first king of the island was Thoas, son of Dionysus and Ariadne, who was married to Myrina and they had a daughter called Ipsipyle.. When the argonauts were on their way to Kochlida made a stop at Limnos. During their stay, Jason got married to Ipsipyle and the rest of the Argonauts got married to other women of Lymnos.

Limnos emerged as an important part of the Trojan culture due to its geographic location, safe harbors and furtile lands. Known already by Herodotos Limnos was used as a strategic location by the Ottoman empire. The first evidence of humanpresence on the island are dated back to 4.000 BC. Poliochne and Myrina became the major cities between 3000 and 2000 BC. Poliochne located on the eastern part of the the island was discovered in 1930 and it was the first organized cityof europe. From the outside it appeared as a fortress but on the inside it had well organized public areas, rock made squares, streets, wells, city warehouses and with its 30.000 square meters abround 1.600 people it was a city prototype.

Myrina came to light by the greek department of excavations. Bigger than Poliochne, with an extent of 80.000 square meters and population of 4.000 at its peak, was built along the coastline of “Richa Nera”. It had a sewer system made ofrock, streets and alleys. The impressive castle of Myrina was built in a strategic location and it stands until today, in a very good condition. It was used in the past by the Byzantin the Enetians and the Turks. Other importantarcheological areas are the Hefaistia the dominating city in the classic aera and the temple of Kaveira. Hefestia with the temple of the goddess of necropolis and the Greek possibly theater is a place of intense mystical character.There, every year people had festivals and rituals called the “Kaveirian” celebrating the natures rebirth and furtility. At the coast there is the cave of Philoktites, a greek leader who was abandonded by the greek army there ontheir way to Troy.

Limnos also played an important part in the recent Greek history. In October 1912 was the first island released from the Turks and helped releasing more Greek islands of Aegean sea. Moudros and its natural harbor was the starting pointof the Greek fleet during the Balcan wars in 1912-13. Limnos was also P.Kountouriotis’s base for the major naval battles of Ellie and Limnos. From Limnos “Nautilus” and “M. Matouses” made the first aerial army mission of Greece to scoutfor the Turkish fleet.

In World War 1 Lemnos was used as a naval, airforce and hospital base by the Allies. Other areas where we find signs of ancient civilizations are Agios Efstratios, Alonitsi, the hill of Agios Minas and the Evraiki where there are some remains of an ancient city and an ancient necropolis.