or MITYLENE (Castro), the most important city in Lesbos, was built on the E. coast of the island, on the neck of a peninsula. Its two excellent harbours, one on the N. and the other on the S. of the city, and its proximity to the mainland, rendered it at an early period the centre of the commerce and influence of the island. It is seen taking the lead in military enterprises as early as 606 B.C.; and its history soon becomes in general the history of Lesbos. The Mytileneans were engaged in some of the greatest wars of antiquity. They furnished a contingent of sixty ships to Xerxes in his invasion of Greece, and they supported first the one side and then the other in the Peloponnesian war. On account of their share in this latter struggle their walls were thrown down, and their territory was occupied by the Athenians. The next important event in the history of Mytilene was its zealous espousal of the cause of Alexander the Great, a policy which brought upon it the attack of the Persians, under Memnon, in 333 B.C., and would have led to its capture, had not the hostile general died on the eve of victory. Still more unfortunate was its adherence to the cause of Mithridates. After a long siege it was taken and sacked by the Romans. Mytilene continued to flourish both during and after the dominancy of Rome. In the middle ages, so thoroughly had it concentrated within itself the wealth and influence of Lesbos, that it gave its name to the entire island. It retains part of its prosperity at the present day. (See LESBOS.)