"Carved on the walls surrounding her sarcophagus were more than 150 ancient Greek poems in which Bilitis recounted her life, from her childhood in Pamphylia in present-day Turkey to her adventures on the islands of Lesbos and Cyprus, where she would eventually come to rest. Heim diligently copied down this treasure trove of poems, which had not seen the light of day for more than two millennia."
"Sappho ( c630- c570 BCE) lived in the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos, where she composed lyric poetry - songs performed to the accompaniment of the lyre. Her poetry was widely admired throughout antiquity. Plato dubbed her 'the tenth Muse'. In the 1st century CE, the Greek philosopher Plutarch recalled listening to Sappho's poetry performed at symposia - wine-drinking parties - remarking that her words were so beautiful, he was moved to put his wine cup down while he listened."
In 1894 German archaeologist Herr G Heim excavated a tomb on Cyprus containing more than 150 ancient Greek poems attributed to a previously unknown female poet named Bilitis. The poems recount Bilitis's life from childhood in Pamphylia to travels and residence on Lesbos and Cyprus. Heim copied the inscriptions, and the Greek edition reached Pierre Louÿs, who translated the poems into French as Les Chansons de Bilitis, bringing them to a broader public the same year. Several of Bilitis's poems describe encounters with Sappho. Sappho lived in Mytilene in the 7th–6th centuries BCE and earned lasting admiration across antiquity.
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