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The article discusses, after an overview of the role in ancient Greek history of the island of Lamnos, Greece, the epigraphic evidence for that historical role. Specifically, it deals with that evidence pertaining to the ancient Athenian colonies or cleruchies on the Greek islands of Lemnos, Imbros, and Skyros. The evidence relating to the island of Lemnos, Greece, is highlighted due to the archaeological excavation there, the theme of the journal issue.

The article discusses the history of Greek island of Lemnos, Greece, during the 5th century BCE based on archaeological evidence to the date of the article's publication. In particular, it describes what scholarly questions remain and which have been answered. Among other aspects of the ongoing archaeological work on the island addressed are the state of the archaeological evidence concerning the island based on the excavations, relation of the findings to documentary sources such as the work of the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, and evidence of Athenians on the island.

The known guarantee cippi from the island of Lemnos attest to eleven cases of prasis epi lysei, two of mortgage, and one of dotal apotimema. The texts, though confirming the evidence from similar documents from Attica, stand out for certain significant peculiarities. Among the creditors, one remarks a non-citizen, phyletai of the Akamantis tribe, and, recurrently, religious or cultic associations, notably the Homochytroi ("Those who share the same cooking pots"). Two Lemnian cippi report the lowest sum for a loan attested so far: 50 drachmae. On the other hand, the single example of a dotal apotitema specifies an amount of 8,000 drachmae, the highest recorded so far in all this documentary series. These inscriptions, which are datable between the early 4th and the late 3rd century BC, suggest important reflections on the cleruchoi's modes of land management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]