Stater

Methymna was one of the five principal cities of Lesbos and spent much of the archaic period in open rivalry with Mytilene, the island's dominant power. Unlike Mytilene, Methymna maintained closer ties with Athens and notably refused to join the catastrophic Mytilenaean revolt of 428 BC. This stater predates that conflict by half a century, placing it in a period when Lesbian cities were still issuing autonomous coinage with confidence, before the Athenian empire began tightening its grip on Aegean monetary independence.