In his book, pirates meet Arvanites, Franks meet Ottomans, land dwellers meet sailors, and modernity meets the old in the blessed land of Argolis, which stretches mentally as far as Cythera and Monemvasia. And because he is able to write excitingly, but at the same time with talent and with the stubborn modesty that always makes him highly valued, not a single pin fell in the great hall of the Parnassus. The reason was the presentation of the 2nd volume of the book “At the Crossroads of Argolica” by Adonidos Kyros on October 5, which, as expected, turned into an honorable event for a person who combines many qualities. He financed the director and editor of the historical Estia, and on the other hand, a stubborn tracker of the past, he knows these places like the back of his hand, he went and searched them bit by bit, he is an experienced historian.

And if he originally wrote a fascinating description of the land, coastal and insular places of this region in antiquity in the first volume published in the 1990s, then his course in the late Roman and Byzantine periods up to the Venetian rule remained. The writing of this work closed a whole circle of searches that began as a teenager of the author and continued with the same passion and curiosity for decades. Journalist and historian Eleftherios Skiadas, who moderated the discussion, was the first to speak in a crowded room that filled up early. He referred to their long-standing journalistic collaboration with the newspaper Estia.

Georgios Fragoudis, responsible for the publications in Leimon, through which both volumes fell into our hands, spoke of the author’s Cypriot origin, as he belongs to a family that contributed as little as possible to the struggle of the martyred Megaloni. Evangelos Chrysos, professor emeritus at the University of Athens, focused on Adonis Kyrou’s knowledge of coins. Thanks to many of his findings, which he donated to the museums of Spetses and Hydra, he contributed to the historical research of scientists. Then Titos Yochalas, Honorary Director of Research at the Academy of Athens, developed the theme of the origin of the Arvanites in Argolis. Kyriakos Nikolaou-Patragas, professor of Islamic law at the University of Athens, made an interesting mention of the presence of Turkish pirates in the Argolic Gulf in the 15th and 16th centuries. Marianna Koromilas, founder of the cultural company Panorama, has always vividly summarized the contribution of Adonis Kyros to our knowledge of the past. The two volumes are fascinating reading and worth reading for those who want to travel even in their minds.