Understand
Archaeological excavations have proved that Zakynthos was inhabited from the Neolithic Age. The island is first mentioned by the Greek poet and writer Homer. In his masterpieces, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he stated that the first inhabitants of Zakynthos were the son of King Dardanos, Zakynthos of Troy after whom the island was named and his men who settled around 1500-1600 BC.
Over the years the island was conquered by King Arkeisios of Kefalonia, and after him Ulysses from Ithaca. Later on Zakynthos became the first independent democracy in the Hellenic area, as a treaty was signed and it lasted over 650 years.
In the summer of 1953, Zakynthos was hit by two severe earthquakes, resulting in the total destruction of the island's infrastructure and most of its state archives. The most powerful of those quakes, which registered 7.3 on the Richter Scale, occurred on August 12 and was felt throughout almost the entire country. In Zakynthos Town only three buildings were left standing: the St. Dionysios Cathedral, the National Bank building and the church of St. Nicholas "tou Molou". The rebuilding of the island was subject to a very rigid anti-seismic code, and has thus withstood several moderate and powerful earthquakes the most recent in 2005 with a minimal amount of damage.
Mining has been common on the island, but today the only activity is two quarries on the mountain range in the western part of the island. A small mountain located on Zakynthos' west side was mined during the late 20th century, but it is no longer in use. Today tourism is the most important source of income, and Zakynthos is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Greece.
