Already, since the Byzantine years, Ioannina excelled in craftmanship and trade. Riches gave wings to spiritual growth, both inside and outside the city. Venice was then the center of Greek typography and most Greek books were printed there. A handful of people born in Ioannina founded three historical printing shops there; Nickolaos Glykis in 1670, Nicholaos Saros in 1681 and Demetrios Theodosios in 1755. Many of the 400 publications of Theodosios were being sold in the two bookshops of Ioannina. Nickolaos Glykis founded the longest-running Greek publishing house in Venice: the family’s printing house ran until the middle of the 19th century and more than 1,500 books were published.