Venetian rule in the Ionian Islands appears to have been only two thousand. Jewish presence in Corfu can be traced since the times of the Principality of Taranto. In Cephalonia, there is evidence of Jewish habitation in the old capital, the Castle of St. George, since the early 17th century. When the capital of the island was transferred to Argostoli the Jews resettled there. The social structure of the islands followed that of Venice. The whole population was divided into three classes: the nobles ('), the bourgeoisie (') and the common people ("). Throughout Venice's old possessions, but above all in the Ionian islands, the memory
Proti Island Proti Island Proti Island of Messenia (Πρώτη Μεσσηνίας) is an island in the Ionian Sea, on the west coast of the Peloponnese; it is counted as one of the Ionian Islands, though administratively, it is part of the municipality of Gargalianoi, in the regional unit of Messenia. The 2001 census reported a population of four inhabitants. The name of the island derives from the ancient sea god Proteus, son of Poseidon. The island was mentioned by ancient writers. The first reference of the island was in the history of Thukydides who refers that in 426 B.C. the Athenian fleet sailed