Cyprus Within the Ancient Greek World

By Panayiotis Georgiou

Cyprus, Aphrodites island, has played a tremendous part in ancient Greek history. This book explores its vast mythology, battles, Greek gods, heroes, and everything in between. Presented in an easy-to-read, simplistic style, including pictures, this work brings to life Cypruss epic Greek past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Mar 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514448571

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Panayiotis Georgiou. 733979

ISBN:   Softcover       978-1-5144-4856-4

             EBook            978-1-5144-4857-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 03/17/2016

Xlibris

0800-056-3182

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

Acknowledgements

Special Thanks…

To Sofia Georgiou for her contributions.

To Elaina Sophocli for her immense support and guidance.

Contents

Introduction

Mythology

The birth of Aphrodite

Aphrodite’s love affair

Aphrodite and Hephaestus

The Judgement of Paris

Aphrodite’s children

Aphrodite’s family tree

Cult of Aphrodite in Cyprus

King Cinyras of Cyprus and Myrrha

Aphrodite’s rage

Europa’s abduction

Adonis, Aphrodite and Persephone

Aphrodite’s golden tree

Busiris and Phrasius

The story of Pygmalion

Theseus’ wife Ariadne

Agraulos

Melus

Mythical beings of Cyprus

The Cypria by Stasinus

Teucer the founder of Salamis

Ajax by Sophocles

Agapenor the founder of Paphos

Anaxarete

Greek History Of Cyprus

Early Greek colonization

Iron Age

Evelthon

The Greco-Persian Wars

The Ionian and Cyprian Revolt in Cyprus

A breakdown of events

The rise of Evagoras the Great

Nicocles son of King Evagoras

Pnytagoras and Evagoras II

Alexander the Great

The Siege of Tyre

Stasanor of Cyprus

Ptolemaic Period (A) Introduction to Ptolemy and Alexander’s death

Ptolemaic Period (B) War of Alexander’s successors

Archaeology of Cyprus

Prominent Greeks of Cyprus

Greek Heroes And Gods Of Cyprus

Appendix

Descendants of Aeacus in Cyprus

Bibliography

Introduction

It can be said that, the ancient Greeks shaped the western world - from architecture to medicine. Names such as; Hippocrates and Aristotle appear again and again throughout modern times. The world is captivated with almost anything and everything from the period of the ancient Greeks. Stories are transformed into Hollywood blockbusters, scientific theories are still used today and millions of tourists flock every year to mainland Greece and the Greek Islands, to gaze upon the amazing antiquities and scenery.

For thousands of years the island of Cyprus has been Greek in character, sharing tradition, culture, religion and language, to name a few commonalities; with the rest of Greece. This book sets out to bring forth Cyprus’ place among the ancient Greek world. It is important to realise that in the ancient times mythology and history overlap and intertwine. As a result, mythology becomes history and vice versa. Therefore, some of the subjects in the mythology section of this book are actually based on real historical events. Cyprus, like other Greek islands, has its own unique place amongst the bigger picture of Greece’s epic history. Hence, the aim of this book is not to distance Cyprus’ history from the rest of ancient Greek history, but to show Cyprus’ part in it. Furthermore, it is hoped that, due to the simplistic and reader-friendly style in which this book is written, it will appeal to, and reach a greater audience - for all readers, from all walks of life, to enjoy.

Now a little about Cyprus: There are many theories concerning the etymology of Cyprus or ‘Kypros’ in Greek. One theory is that it owes its name to Aphrodite. Some ancient writers, including Homer, gave Aphrodite the name Kypris.

Geographically, Cyprus is situated within the Mediterranean Sea, 480 km east of the island Rhodes and approximately 280 km from Kastellorizo, Cyprus’ closest Greek neighbour. Other neighbouring countries include; Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, with a total land area of approximately 9,250 km².

Cyprus boasts a collection of heavenly natural attractions, including a variety of picturesque beaches, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. In particular, Mount Olympus in Cyprus is one of the most famous natural attractions. Its peak is approximately 1,950 metres high (higher than Ben Nevis - the tallest mountain in Great Britain).

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Mount Olympus in Cyprus, not to be confused with Mount Olympus in Greece; which is said to be the home of the Greek Gods and the tallest mountain in Greece.

Cyprus also has a variety of wildlife including: snakes, turtles, lizards, bats and various types of birds. The most famous wild animal on the island is the ‘Cyprus Mouflon’. Its scientific name is Ovis Gmelini Ophion. The Cyprus Mouflon can be found only in Cyprus. It is a stunning sheep like animal with thick horns, and a strong build. In addition, this animal can be found on some of Cyprus’ former coin currency and current Euro currency.

The aim of this book is to highlight Cyprus’ ancient Greek history, therefore this work will concentrate on the Mycenaean Age (approximately 1600 BC) through to the Hellenistic period, up until the Roman period (approximately 30 BC). In addition, it will not specifically discuss events that took place solely in Cyprus. On the contrary, this book looks at the bigger picture and reviews events that took place elsewhere, which as a result, had an effect on Cyprus in one form or another.

For many years now, studying the ancient sites and objects of Cyprus (along with many other Greek islands) has been an archaeologist’s dream. Countless antiquities have been discovered and are still being discovered today. Outside of Cyprus, the British Museum in London boasts one of the largest collections of Cypriot antiquities. These discoveries assist in telling the story of Cyprus through the years. Cyprus was inhabited by humans in the Neolithic period, about 7000 BC. These inhabitants were sparse and lived in brick and stone structures. They maintained sheep and barley. It is believed that these inhabitants may have been exterminated, because there is practically no trace of any population on the island from about 6000 – 4500 BC.

After many years, the Bronze Age emerged. This period lasted approximately 1300 years, from around 2300 – 1050 BC. Cyprus has a rich source of copper. In fact, the word ‘copper’ is derived from Kyprios, the Greek word for Cyprian, meaning ‘of Cyprus’. There are numerous ancient copper and bronze antiquities from Cyprus including tools, weapons and bowls. Cyprus’ wealth of copper, as well as her location gave her an important role within the Mediterranean. As a result, Cyprus had become an attractive destination for neighbouring countries. During the Late Bronze Age, waves of Greeks from the Peloponnese and Aegean began to settle on the island. Greek immigration and colonization was harmonious and bloodless. Greek became the predominate language of the island. The culture changed significantly with the introduction of new pottery styles, life styles and religion. Cyprus became part of the Hellenic world and flourished.

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A sketch of Ancient Greece and some of the main Greek cities and areas

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Map of Ancient Cyprus

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Modern Map of Cyprus

Mythology

It is not surprising that Greek mythology has been admired and