The oldest historical remains on the island date from 12th millennium BC! 

The island is steeped in Greek mythology and has changed hands many times throughout its history including the Byzantines, Italians, Russians, Ottomans and Greeks.

On 8 October 1912, during the First Balkan War, Lemnos became part of Greece. Moudros Bay became a forward anchorage for the Greek fleet, which enabled it to keep watch on the Dardanelles and prevent a foray by the Ottoman Navy into the Aegean. 

During World War I, in early 1915, the Allies used the island to attempt to capture the Dardanelles Straits, 50 kilometres (31 miles) away. Moudros was put under the control of a British Admiral, who was ordered to prepare the largely unused harbour for operations against the Dardanelles. The harbour was broad enough for British and French warships but lacked suitable military facilities. Troops intended for Gallipoli had to train in Egypt, and the port found it difficult to cope with casualties from the Gallipoli campaign. The campaign halted in evident failure at the end of 1915. 

In late October 1918, the armistice between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies was signed at Moudros. 

After the Red Army victory in the Russian Civil War, many Kuban Cossacks fled the country to avoid persecution from the Bolsheviks. The island was a notable evacuation point where 18,000 Kuban Cossacks landed, though many later died of starvation and disease. Most left the island after a year.

The island is full of ancient monuments, and the Ancient Kavirio is a place strongly related to secret religious ceremonies. There’s the Cave of Philoctetes, a legendary hero who was abandoned there on his way to Troy and a Medieval castle on a hill above Myrina.