Poet : Sappho declared her love for women . The Greek island of Lesbos may be inextricably linked to the idea of female homosexuality – but in ancient times it was a notorious sexual playground for straight men , who found the local women irresistible . In a new BBC documentary , former Apprentice star Margaret Mountford will reveal that the island was the Magaluf of its day , and a capital for sex tourism . Professor Edith Hall from King 's College London tells the programme : 'Lesbos had a very particular reputation for producing very beautiful women . They really were supposed to be the sexiest people in the entire Greek world . ' She added that , in the Ancient Greek world , the word 'lesbian ' actually meant a woman performing an intimate sex act on a man . Professor Hall also explained that the fact that Lesbos was closer to Turkey than Athens only added to the sexual allure of the women . She said : 'They also had a very interesting accent which would have sounded almost oriental to the Athenians . They were nearer Asia so their Greek accent would have been inflected like that . ' Mountford then describes the island as 'the sex tourism capital of the ancient Aegean ' . The programme examines the life and legacy of the female poet Sappho , who lived on the island around 600BC . She was one of the great writers of the ancient world , and wrote poems which appeared to be declarations of love for other women . As a result , both 'Sapphic ' and the name of the island have now become synonymous with lesbianism – although such usage only started in the 19th Century . In 2008 , residents of the island lost a legal fight to ban the use of the word 'lesbian ' to describe gay women , arguing that the term violated their human rights and 'disgraced ' them around the world . In the documentary , Mountford travels to Lesbos to try to uncover the truth about Sappho 's life . The poet is believed to have had a daughter , and Mountford explores the differences between the ancient Greek concept of homosexuality and our own . Lesbos had a particular reputation for producing very beautiful women , the TV show will reveal . Modern day comparison : The island of Lesbos was the Magaluf of its day and a capital for sex tourism . Professor James Davidson said the willingness of the Ancient Greeks to embrace both male and female homosexuality may have been as much social as sexual . He said : 'Societies are strange and societies do strange things . This is a really peculiar cultural phenomenon . Instead of Greek homosexuality , I think it should be called Greek homo-besottedness . 'It is always over the top . It is always so extreme . 'The whole phenomenon of Greek homosexuality for men and for women seems to be a kind of cultural and social institution . 'They are using it as a way of social cohesion to break out of family groups and to establish communities . 'Sappho was a phenomenon but any kind of genius still follows the culture of their time . ' Sappho : Love And Life On Lesbos With Margaret Mountford will be shown on BBC Four on May 6 .
The Greek island was the 'sex tourism capital of the ancient Aegean ' Former Apprentice TV star Margaret Mountford will describe life on the island in a new television programme . Show also examines life and legacy of the female poet Apprentice , who lived on the island around 600BC .