As far as we know, the longest-lived person in Kythera was Prokopis Souris from Gerakari, In 1925, he was 117 years old, meaning he was born in 1808. He wore traditional baggy trousers, a fez, and baketen slippers. He was self-sufficient in his family home in Gerakari, with excellent eyesight, cooking, playing ball, and threading. He walked freely, dug, pruned, fertilized his vineyard, and took care of his pigs and chickens. He didn't know any medicines.He ate everything, nothing harmed him, and his most common food was fava beans, greens, and potatoes. He went to bed early and woke up before dawn.
He was a teenager during the Greek Revolution and remembered incidents involving refugees who fled to British-controlled Kythira from the neighboring Peloponnese. He never traveled outside Kythira and never served in the military because Kythira was under British rule when he was of military age. He did not attend school and knew only the «Creed» and the «Our Father.».
He had about 350 descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren). His longevity is attributed to his life close to nature, his healthy diet and exercise, and the fact that life allowed him to live peacefully in his village without worries or upheavals.
A beautiful painting depicting old Prokopis was created by D. Kratis, a graduate of the Polytechnic University. Old Prokopis died at the age of 120.
(Source: Kythiraiki newspaper, July 22, 1925, and August 4, 1925)
