A new BBC documentary on the island of Mytilene (Lesvos) focuses on sex tourism on the island in antiquity. Though the island has been linked to female sexuality and the poetess Sappho, it appears that straight ancient Greek men would visit the island for sexual pleasure.

Presented by ex-Apprentice star Margaret Mountford, the documentary aims to examine the life and legacy of Sappho who lived on the island circa 600 BC. The documentary explains that usage of Sapphic to dexcribe lesbianism only started in the 19^th century. In 2008, residents of the island lost a legal fight to ban the use of the word “lesbian” to describe homosexual women, stating that it violated the island’s human rights.

King’s College Professor Edith Hall says that the word “lesbian” in the Ancient Greek world actually meant a woman performing an intimate sex act on a man. Close to the border with Asia, the Athenians would have considered the people of Mytilene to be exotic-looking.

The documentary peeks into ancient  Greek concepts of homosexuality as opposed to those of modern times and looks at Sappho’s life that included a daughter from a straight relationship.