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Encyclopedia ID 514

Sicilian Puppet Knights

Also known as Opera dei Pupi

Sicilian Puppet Knights: photograph by Dedda71
Photo: Dedda71, Public domain, source on Wikimedia Commons

Stamp, swing and clash armoured rod puppets in rhythm to a storyteller's narration, with the audience-pleasing stamp-and-flourish duel at the heart.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Italy.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Mediterranean.

Sources

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