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CEPHALONIA (Ital. Cefalonia, ancient ...

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 685 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CEPHALONIA (Ital. Cefalonia, See also:ancient and See also:modern See also:official See also:Greek Cephallenia, Ke¢aXMvia) , an See also:island belonging to the See also:kingdom of See also:Greece, and the largest of those known as the Ionian Islands, situated on the See also:west See also:side of the mainland, almost directly opposite the Gulf of See also:Corinth. The name was traditionally derived from Cephalus, the See also:Attic See also:hero who was regarded as having colonized the island. The tradition, which is repeated by See also:Aristotle, is probably due solely to the similarity of the names (see J. G. Frazer, See also:Pausanias, i. 37, 6 See also:note). Pop. (1907) 71,235. Its extreme length is 31 m., and its breadth varies from about 20 M. in the See also:southern portion to 3 m. or less in the projecting See also:part, which runs parallel with the island of See also:Ithaca, at a distance of about 4 m: across the strait of Guiscardo or Viscaro. The whole island, with its See also:area of 348 See also:English sq. m., is covered with rocky hills of varying See also:elevation, the See also:main range See also:running from See also:north-west to See also:south-See also:east. The ancient See also:Mount Aenos, now Elato, See also:Monte See also:Negro, or the See also:Black See also:Mountain (53, 5 ft.), frequently retains the See also:snow for several months.

It is not only the loftiest part of the sierra, but also the highest See also:

land in the whole Ionian See also:group. The name " Black" was given from the darkness of the See also:pine See also:woods which still constitute the most striking feature in Cephalonian scenery, although their extent has been greatly curtailed by See also:fire. The See also:summit is called Megalo Soros. The island is See also:ill supplied with fresh See also:water; there are few permanent streams except the Rakli, and springs are See also:apt to fail in dry summers. In the western part of the island a gulf runs up from the south, a distance of about 7 m.; on its east side stands the See also:chief See also:town See also:Argostoli, with about to,000 inhabitants, and on its west side the See also:rival See also:city of Lixouri, with 6000. About a mile west of the town are the curious See also:sea See also:mills; a stream of sea water running down a chasm in the See also:shore is made to turn the wheels. About 5 M. from Argostoli is the See also:castle of St See also:George, a See also:building of Venetian origin, and the strongest fortification in the island. On an See also:eminence east-south-east of Argostoli are the ruins of the ancient Cranii, and Lixouri is See also:close to or upon those of See also:Pale; while on the other side of the island are the remains of See also:Samos on the See also:bay of the same name, of Proni or Pronni, farther south above the vale of Rakli and its blossoming oleanders, and of an unknown city near the See also:village of Scala. The ruins of this city include See also:Roman See also:baths, a See also:brick-built See also:temple, See also:rock-cut tombs, and See also:tessellated pavements; and Cranii, Proni and Samos are remarkable for stretches of Cyclopean and Hellenic walls, partly of the most irregular construction, and partly preserving almost unimpaired the results of the most perfect skill. The inhabitants of Cephalonia have all along been extremely active; and no slight amount of toil has been expended in the construction of terraces on the steep sides of the hills. Owing to the thinness of the See also:population, however, but a small proportion of the See also:soil is under cultivation, and the quantity of See also:grain grown in the island is comparatively-meagre. The See also:staple is the See also:currant, in the See also:production of which the island surpasses See also:Zante.

The See also:

fruit is smaller than that of the Morea, and has a See also:peculiar flavour; it finds a See also:market mainly in See also:Holland, See also:Belgium and See also:Germany. The See also:grape See also:vine also is grown, and the manufacture of See also:wine is a rising See also:industry. The See also:olive See also:crop is of considerable importance, and the culture of See also:cotton in the See also:low grounds has been successfully attempted. Manufactures are few and undeveloped, but See also:lace from the See also:aloe fibre, See also:Turkey carpets and See also:basket-See also:work are produced by the villagers, and boats are built at both the See also:principal towns. Of all the seven Ionian islands Cephalonia and Zante are most purely Greek, and the inhabitants display See also:great See also:mental activity. In the Homeric poems Cephalonia is generally supposed to be mentioned under the name of Same, and its inhabitants, among the subjects of Ulysses, to be designated Cephallenes (see, however, under ITHACA). In the See also:Persian See also:War they took but little part; in the Peloponnesian they sided with the Athenians. The town of Pale was vainly besieged by See also:Philip of Macedon in 218 B.C., because it had supported the Aetolian cause. In 189 B.C. all the cities surrendered to the See also:Romans, but Same afterwards revolted, and was only reduced after a See also:siege of four months. The island was presented by See also:Hadrian to See also:Athens, but it appears again at a later date as " See also:free and autonomous." After the See also:division of the Roman See also:empire, it continued attached to See also:Byzantium till 1082, when it was captured by See also:Robert Guiscard, who died, however, before he could repress the revolt of 1o85. In 1204 it was assigned to Gains, See also:prince of See also:Tarentum, who accepted the See also:protection of See also:Venice in 1215; and after 1225 it was held along with See also:Santa Maura and Zante by a See also:succession of five See also:counts of the Tocco See also:family at See also:Naples. Formally made over to Venice in 1350 by the prince of Tarentum, it was afterwards captured by the See also:Turks in 1479; but the Hispanico-Venetian See also:fleet under Benedetto Pessaro and Gonsalvo of See also:Cordova effected their See also:expulsion in 1500, and the island continued in Venetian See also:possession till the fall of the See also:republic.

For some See also:

time it was administered for the See also:French See also:government, but in 1809 it was taken by the See also:British under See also:Cuthbert, See also:Lord See also:Collingwood. Till 1813 it was in the hands of See also:Major de Bosset, a Swiss in the British service, who displayed an industry and See also:energy in the repression of injustice and development of See also:civilization only outdone by the despotic vigour of See also:Sir See also:Charles See also:Napier, who held the same See also:office for the nine years from 1818 to 1827. During the British See also:protectorate the island made undoubted advances in material prosperity, but was several times the See also:scene of See also:political disturbances. It retained longer than the See also:sister islands traces of feudal See also:influence exerted by the landed proprietors, but has been gradually becoming more democratic. Under the Venetians it was divided into eight districts, and an elaborate See also:system of See also:police was in force; since its See also:annexation to Greece it has been broken up into twenty demarchies, each with its See also:separate See also:jurisdiction and revenues, and the police system has been abolished.

End of Article: CEPHALONIA (Ital. Cefalonia, ancient and modern official Greek Cephallenia, Ke¢aXMvia)

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