|
Greece |
Zakynthos
The name Zakynthos appears in myths and legends going back to prehistoric times. Homer was the first to refer to the island, both in the Iliad and the Odyssey. From Homer's "Iliad", we can conclude that Zakynthos together with Kephallonia, Lefkada and Acarnania- was part of the domain of Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca. It is said that it took its name from Zakynthus, son of the king of Phrygia Dardanus. Zakynthus, along with Achaean fighters, set off from the city of Psophis in Arcadia, where his brothers reigned, to colonize the island.
Zakynthos, like the rest of the Ionian Islands, never fell into the hands of Turks. Ionian Islands, instead, remained for centuries under Venetian, French and English rule and for a short period of time under Russian rule. (History section)
Thus, their population had the chance to live according to a European and especially to an Italian culture and develop a pioneering cultural activity, which became apparent in painting, in music, in literature and in theater. The literary evolution of Ionian Islands during 19th century is known in the History of Literature as "Ionian School".
Already in 17th century we come across the first dramas in Zakynthos as "Omilies", a sort of folk theater, while at the beginning of the 18th century the "Comedy of Pseudo-Doctors" written by Savojia Rousmeli, which is the oldest work of dramaturgy. Heroes are simple, ordinary bourgeois people, which the playwrights wanted to depict. In 1830 A. Matesis writes "Vasilikos", which is the first drama with social content written after the Liberation of Greece (it delineates the social conflicts at the beginning of 18th century in the Ionian Islands).
|
| Home | About Us | Link to Us | Contact Us | Search | Site Map | © Just-Luxury.com |
