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22-04-2015, 20:51

Cyprus

An important stop between the East and West with safe harbors and abundant agricultural products and mineral resources, particularly copper.

Date: 6000 b. c.e.-31 c. e.

Category: Historic sites

Locale: Northeastern Mediterranean Sea, fifty miles south of modern Turkey

Background Cyprus (SI-pruhs) is an island located in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, fifty miles south of the coast of Cilicia, near the Levant. It is approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) long by 60 miles (97 kilometers) wide. The island, because of its strategic location, was seen throughout history as an important possession and found itself involved in many conflicts through the ages. The island was also seen as a valuable economic resource because of its plentiful production of wheat, olives, and wine and its extensive copper deposits. The ancient writer Ammianus Marcellinus noted that Cyprus was so fertile that it could completely build and stock cargo ships solely from its own resources. According to myth, Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love, beauty, and fertility) emerged from the sea at Cyprus, and numerous temples to her can be found throughout the island, especially near Paphos.

Early History Archaeological excavations on the island have uncovered evidence for a preceramic early Neolithic culture at sites such as Khirokitia and Kalavasos (Tenta), dating back to the sixth millennium b. c.e. Small, circular buildings constructed from little stones, sun-dried mud bricks, and wood characterize these small farming sites. This early phase was followed by a Late Neolithic period (c. 4500-3500 b. c.e.) characterized by square buildings, often partially underground, and the use of pottery as seen at the sites of Sotira (Teppes) and Ayios Epiktitos (Vrysi).

The daily life in those Neolithic villages was devoted to farming, hunting, and animal husbandry. The Chalcolithic period (c. 4500-2500/2300 b. c.e.) saw the first evidence of metalworking on the island with the appearance of copper implements. The copper industry on the island began to flourish, and commercial contacts were established with other regions around the eastern Mediterranean.

In the Early Bronze Age (2500/2300-1900 b. c.e.), settlers from western Anatolia began to arrive in large numbers and soon replaced the indigenous culture with their Near Eastern culture. Economic prosperity continued, and urbanization began in the coastal regions. In the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600-1050 b. c.e.), Cyprus became more commercial as trade with Egypt and the Levant increased. The increased commercial traffic resulted in the growth of large cities on the eastern and southern coasts, such as Enkomi and Maroni (Vournes). These cities were constructed from large ashlar blocks, similar to Near Eastern cities. During this period, as Cyprus became known as a rich source for copper, Mycenaean merchants first visited the island. Soon Mycenaean colonists started arriving in large numbers, and the local culture developed a significant Aegean influence.

Around the year 1250 b. c.e., the island began to suffer from the same problems that resulted in the general collapse of Bronze Age civilizations around the eastern Mediterranean. Piracy increased, resulting in decreased commercial traffic, and in 1190 b. c.e., the coastal cities were attacked and destroyed by raiders referred to in Egyptian sources as the Sea Peoples. The local culture was further changed with the arrival of new Greek colonists fleeing the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization on mainland Greece. From this point on, Greek culture, religion, and language were to be dominant on the island as the Greek colonists controlled the major Cypriot kingdoms of Kourion, Lapithos, Marion, Pahos, Salamis, Soli, and Tamassos.

Prosperity and Outside Rule As Cyprus entered the Iron Age (c. 1050-323 b. c.e.), it lost contact with Greece and strengthened its ties to the Near East. Phoenicians from Tyre settled on the island and founded a colony at Kition during the ninth century b. c.e. In the eighth century b. c.e., contact with Greece was reestablished. Cyprus became extremely prosperous, as can be seen by the wealth and splendor of items discovered during the archaeological investigation of the royal tombs at Salamis. From 709 to 663 b. c.e., the Cypriot kingdoms were part of the Assyrian Empire but were allowed to keep their local autonomy. Following the end of Assyrian rule, the Cypriot kingdoms enjoyed a brief period of independence until the Egyptian pharaoh Amasis annexed them around 560 b. c.e.

After a short period of Egyptian control (c. 560-540 b. c.e.), Cyprus became part of the Persian Empire during the reign of Cambyses II (r. 529522 b. c.e.). Other than a few brief attempts at rebellion, such as the Ionian Revolt in 500 b. c.e. and the revolt of Evagoras I of Salamis in the late fifth/ early fourth century b. c.e., Cyprus remained part of the Persian Empire until the latter’s destruction by Alexander the Great. In gratitude for the assistance rendered to him by Cypriot naval forces at the siege of Tyre, Alexander granted the Cypriot kingdoms their freedom.

After Alexander the Great’s untimely death in 323 b. c.e., the leading city-states of Cyprus formed an alliance with Ptolemy Soter against the advances of the Antigonids. Demetrius Poliorcetes captured the island in 306 b. c.e., only to see it recaptured by the Ptolemies in 294 b. c.e. When the Ptolemies regained control of the island, they made the city of Nea Paphos, founded by Nikokles I, their new administrative center. Continuing the economic trend begun in the Classical period, Cyprus continued to experience increased economic prosperity—a trend seen throughout the eastern Mediterranean during this period.

Roman Rule In the year 100 b. c.e., the Roman senate, concerned about the problem of piracy in the eastern Mediterranean and its effect on trade, passed a senatus consultum that encouraged all friends and allies of Rome, including Cyprus, to give no assistance or aid to pirates. This was followed by the sudden annexation of Cyprus in 58 b. c.e. A Roman tribune for that year, Publius Clodius Pulcher, was able to secure the passage of a law that reduced Cyprus to a province and confiscated the wealth of Cyprus’s king. For the next ten years, Cyprus was considered part of or an addition to the province of Cilicia. In 48/47 b. c.e., Julius Caesar gave Cyprus to Egypt to be ruled by the two children of Auletes, but in actuality Cleopatra VII governed the island. Marc Antony confirmed Egypt’s control over Cyprus and Cilicia in 36 b. c.e. Augustus reclaimed the island for Rome when he assumed control of Egypt after his victory at Actium over Cleopatra and Antony in 31 b. c.e. In 22 b. c.e., Augustus ceded the island to the Roman senate to become a senatorial province but a minor one governed only by a praetor. To aid in its government, the island was divided into twelve or thirteen regions, each controlled by the major city in its area. Throughout the Roman period, the island was fairly quiet, with little political or military disruption.

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