Methymna on Lesbos
Arion with lyre, riding dolphin, on 4th c. BC
silver diobol of Methymna
The second in importance city on the island, today as in antiquity, Methymna (now usually referred to as Molyvos) is located on the north coast facing Asia Minor and the entrance to the Gulf of Adramytteion. It is the birthplace of the famous singer-poet Arion, who served on the court of the sage-king Periander of Corinth, and whose beautiful voice and lyre are engulfed in mythology. A most charming part of that cycle is the tale of his rescue by the dolphins, after having been tossed overboard by some crooked sailors. Inspired by his music, dolphins came to his rescue and rode him to the safety of land. A scarce silver issue of his home town shows Arion with a lyre riding a dolphin, and the same image served as a mintmark for the cities coinage during later Alexandrian times.
Search for coins from Methymna.