Archeological sites

Neolithic Settlement of Mirina
Outside the walls of the castle, at the eastern side, lie the ruins of the areas neolithic settlement, demonstrating remarkable elements of early urban planning. More specifically, in the wider area of Reha Nera (shallow waters), the first excavations have brought to light relics of construction materials, of what is claimed to be a center of the Early Copper Age, along with other interesting data that hint to the simultaneous historic development of Poliohni.

Sanctuary of Goddess Artemis of Avlona
According to historical records, goddess Artemis, identified also as the goddess of the moon, was worshipped and commemorated as the patron saint of Mirina. As such, she could not but have a sanctuary, at which the worshippers would offer sacrificies.
At the courtyard of the Hotel “Porto Mirina Palace”, in Avlona, out side the walls of the city of Mirina, archeologists dug up ruins of the Goddess’ sanctuary, dating from archaic to Hellenistic ages.

Workshops at Hephaestia and Mirina
Nearby the sanctuary of the great goddess, in Hephaestia, is located a remarkable ceramic workshop of the Hellenistic period. A similar workshop has been traced in the area between the Hospital and the Technical High School, located outside the walls of Mirina and close by to the Hellenistic and Roman necropolis (city of the dead).

Prehistoric settlement in Poliohni
The neolithic settlement of Poliohni is located amid the cape Voroskopos and the endless shoreline of “Makri Yialos”, east of Moudros and Kaminia. At the beginning of the 4th millennium B.C, the forerunner of what is today’s urban center, makes itself present. This ‘primitive’ type of urbanization was imperative, due to the rapid growth of the island, corollary of its geopolitical position that fostered the establishment of an administrative trade center. 
The significance of the Poliohni’s settlement is affected and, up to a point shaped as well, through its interaction with the people from the islands of northern Aegean, the Cyclades, the coastline of Ionia and northern Greece. They all contributed to the great cultural boom that Poliohni was destined to experience, rendering it as one of the oldest European states with a clear social organization and urban structure.
In the premature Poliohni, the citizenry, around a thousand people, created a basic form of social organization, enacted laws and rules and, allowed themselves to enter a period of continuous development. The findings of the excavations that have taken place there, prove beyond any doubt that, in the islands of the northern Aegean evolved a civilization completely distinct and autonomous, much like the Cycladic, the Minoan and the Mycenaean.

Kavirio 
The people of ancient Limnos worshipped Hephaestus, god of fire and metallurgy, and the Kavirians, semi-gods of the sea, of fertility and grapes. It was during the ceremony of “Pirforia” that man’s discovery of fire was celebrated. This is a custom that traces its roots back to the first inhabitants of the island and takes place every year.

Their occult worshipping rituals of the dwellers involved several mysteries, yet the most famous are  known as the “Kavirian sacraments”, directly related to fertility and nature’s rebirth. The holy sanctuary of the Kavirians was built at the end of the 8th century B.C, and is situated at Cape Chloe. The worshipping of the Kavirians in Limnos is considered to be the oldest in the Northern Aegean, compared with the islands of Imvros and Samothraki.
 
Hephaestia
Built at the eastern part of Mpournia’s gulf, Hephaestia was the second largest city after Mirina, during the ancient years and the great “religious capital”. Protector of the town was god Hephaestus and it was named after him as a token of respect.
Excavations carried out by the Italian Archeological School and the 5th Curator of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, have brought to light evidence that substantiate its continuous inhabitation from the Age of Cooper till later Byzantine years.
Among others were unearthed the sanctuary of the Great Goddess, dead cities, baths and a huge building, probably a palace, which according to the Roman writer Plinius, was the “Labyrinth of Limnos”.
However, the remains of the ancient theatre of Hephaestia, dated at the beginning of the Hellenistic years, despite the Roman  interventions later on, are by far and without doubt, the most impressive exhibits. Further findings confirm as well that Hephaestia has been a very important harbor with extended commercial relations with many  other Aegean islands.

Koukonissi
Koukonissi or Nissaki, as the local people refer to it, is a flat, semi-circular surface of 140 sq. meters, with an altitude of 10 meters. It situated within the Bay of Moudros and it’s naturally protected due to the morphology of the peninsula.
In order for the farmers to secure unobstructed access from and to it, two elevated cobbled streets have been constructed, which also allow free circulation of the ocean currents. The excavations already performed have documented the existence of a prosperous settlement with long-lasting and continuous inhabitation from the Early till the Later Copper Age.