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ZANTE (anc. Zacynthus)

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 956 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ZANTE (anc. Zacynthus) , an See also:island of See also:Greece, one of the Ionian See also:group, in the Ionian See also:Sea, in 370 40' N. See also:lat. and 210 E. See also:long., is 25 M. long, about 12 broad, and 64 m. See also:round, with an See also:area of 277 sq. m., and a See also:population in 1907 of 42,502. Zante lies 8 m. S. of See also:Cephalonia, forming with it, Leucas and See also:Ithaca a See also:crescent-shaped insular group, which represents the crests of a submerged See also:limestone See also:ridge facing the Gulf of See also:Patras. Zante is of somewhat irregular See also:oval shape, with its See also:main See also:axis disposed in the direction from See also:north-See also:west to See also:south-See also:east, and indented by a deep inlet at its See also:southern extremity. The See also:surface is mainly occupied by an extensive and highly productive central See also:plain, skirted on the west See also:side by a range of See also:bare limestone hills from 1000 to 1200 ft. high, which fall gently landwards, but See also:present bold steep cliffs towards the sea, and which culminate north-wards in See also:Mount Skopos, the See also:ancient Elatos (1600 ft.), the highest point in the island. On the east side the plain is also limited by a See also:low ridge, which still justifies the epithet of nemorosa, or the " wooded," applied by See also:Virgil to Zacynthus. These hills are densely clothed to their summits with an exuberant growth of See also:olives, See also:figs, myrtles, laurels, oranges, aloes, vines and other sub-tropical See also:plants. The central plain is highly cultivated, forming an almost continuous stretch of gardens and vineyards, varied here and there with a few patches of cornfields and pasture lands. Here is grown a See also:peculiar See also:dwarf See also:vine, whose See also:fruit, the " See also:currant " (from " See also:Corinth ") of See also:commerce, forms the See also:chief resource and See also:staple export of Zante, as well as of the neighbouring mainland. The vine, which grows to a height of 3 ft., begins to yield in seven years and lasts for over a See also:century. Fromthe See also:grape, which has a pleasant See also:bitter-sweet See also:taste, a See also:wine, is also extracted, which is said to excel all others in flavour, See also:fire and strength.

Besides this See also:

species, there are nearly See also:forty different kinds of vine and ten of the See also:olive, including the karudolia, which yields the best edible olive See also:berry. For See also:size, vigorous growth and productiveness the olive See also:tree of Zante is rivalled only by that of See also:Corfu. The island enjoys a healthy See also:climate; and, although there are no perennial streams, an abundant See also:supply of See also:good See also:water . is obtained from the numerous springs, occurring especially in the eastern and central districts. But earthquakes are frequent and at times disastrous. During See also:recent times the most destructive were those of 1811, 182o, 184o and 1893; and, although the prevailing See also:geological formations are sedimentary, chiefly calcareous, there seems no doubt that these disturbances are of igneous origin. Other indications of volcanic agency are the oil springs occurring on the See also:coast, and even in the See also:bed of the sea near Cape Skinari on the north side, and especially the famous See also:pitch or bituminous See also:wells already mentioned by See also:Herodotus (Hist., bk. iv.). These have been productive throughout the historic See also:period and still yield a considerable supply of pitch. They are situated in a swamp near the coast See also:village of See also:Chieri, and comprise two basins, with alternate layers of water and See also:bitumen, the See also:lower See also:sheet of water apparently communicating with the sea. Zante, See also:capital of the island, is a considerable seaport on the east side, with a population in 1907 of 13,501. It occupies the site of the ancient See also:city of Zacynthus, said to have been founded by Zacynthus, son of a legendary Arcadian chief, See also:Dardanus, to whom was also attributed the neighbouring citadel of Psophis. But of this, as well as of the See also:temple of See also:Artemis that formerly crowned Mount Skopos, no vestiges can now be discovered: Traditionally the island formed See also:part of the territory of Ulysses, See also:king of Ithaca. It was peopled in ancient times by settlers variously represented as coming from See also:Achaea or See also:Arcadia.

It figures occasionally in See also:

history as a See also:base for belligerents in the Ionian Sea. Thus during the Peloponnesian See also:War it served as a See also:naval station for the Athenians, who again in 374 B.C. endeavoured to acquire it for a similar purpose; in 357 it became the headquarters of See also:Dion on his expedition against See also:Syracuse. In 217 it was seized by See also:Philip V. of Macedon. The See also:Romans captured it in 211, but restored it temporarily to Philip; in 191, wishing to keep it out of the hands of ambitious See also:Greek See also:powers, they definitely annexed it. In 86 it was raided by See also:Mithradates' See also:admiral See also:Archelaus during a See also:short foray into Ionian See also:waters. Under the See also:Roman See also:Empire Zante was included in the See also:province of See also:Epirus. In the rrth century it passed to the See also:Norman See also:kings of See also:Sicily; after the See also:Fourth Crusade it be-longed at various times to the despots of Epirus, the emperors of See also:Constantinople, and the See also:Orsini; See also:counts of Cephalonia. After remaining from 1357 to 1482 in the hands of the Tocco See also:family it became a Venetian See also:possession. In 1797 it was ceded to See also:France, and after a short occupation by the Russians was brought under See also:British See also:protection; in 1864 it was ceded with the other Ionian islands to the Greek See also:kingdom. The long Venetian occupation is reflected in the See also:appearance, See also:character, and to some extent even the See also:language and See also:religion of the Zantiots. Nearly all the See also:aristocracy claim Venetian descent; most of the upper classes are bilingual, speaking both Greek and See also:Italian; and a considerable See also:section of the population are Roman Catholics of the Latin rite. Even the bulk of the See also:people, although mainly of Greek stock, See also:form in their social usages a connecting See also:link between the Hellenes, whose language they speak, and the Western nations by whom they were so long ruled.

See B. See also:

Schmidt, See also:Die Insel Zakynthos (See also:Freiburg, 1899) ; B. V. See also:Head, Historia Numorum (See also:Oxford, 1887), pp. 359-60.

End of Article: ZANTE (anc. Zacynthus)

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