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SALAMIS

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Originally appearing in Volume V24, Page 59 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SALAMIS , the See also:

principal See also:city of See also:ancient See also:Cyprus, situated on the See also:east See also:coast a little See also:north of the See also:river Pedias (Pediaeus). It had a See also:good See also:harbour, well situated for See also:commerce with See also:Phoenicia, See also:Egypt and See also:Cilicia, which was replaced in See also:medieval times by See also:Famagusta (Ammochostos), and is wholly silted now. Its See also:trade was mainly in See also:corn, See also:wine and oil from the midland See also:plain (Mesaoria), and in See also:salt from the neighbouring lagoons. Tradition-ally, Salamis was founded after the Trojan See also:War (c. 118o B.C.) by Teucer from Salamis, the See also:island off See also:Attica, but there was an important Mycenaean See also:colony somewhat earlier. The spoils of its tombs excavated in 1896 are in the See also:British Museum. A See also:king Kisu of Silna (Salamis) is mentioned in a See also:list of tributaries of See also:Assur-bani-See also:pal of See also:Assyria in 668 B.C., and See also:Assyrian See also:influence is marked in the See also:fine terra-See also:cotta figures from a See also:shrine at Toumba excavated in 189o-1891. The revolts of See also:Greek Cyprus against See also:Persia in 50o B.C., 386–380 B.C. and 352 B.C. were led respectively by See also:kings Onesilaus, See also:Evagoras (q.v.) and Pnytagoras, who seem to have been the principal Hellenic See also:power in the island. In 306 See also:Demetrius Poliorcetes won a See also:great See also:naval victory here over See also:Ptolemy I. of Egypt. Under See also:Egyptian and See also:Roman See also:administration Salamis flourished greatly, though under the Ptolemaic See also:priest-kings and under See also:Rome the seat of See also:government was at New See also:Paphos (see PAPHOS). But it was greatly damaged in the Jewish revolt of A.D. 116–117; it also suffered repeatedly from earthquakes, and was wholly rebuilt by See also:Constantius II. under the name See also:Constantia.

There was a large Jewish colony in Ptolemaic and See also:

early Roman times, and a See also:Christian community founded by See also:Paul and See also:Barnabas in A.D. 45-46. Barnabas was himself a Cypriote, and his reputed See also:tomb, discovered in A.D. 477, is still shown, a little inland, near the monastery of Ai Barnaba. St See also:Epiphanius was See also:archbishop A.D. 367–402. The Greek city was destroyed by the See also:Arabs under the See also:Caliph Moawiya in 647, and does not seem to have revived. In later times the site was plundered for the See also:building of Famagusta; it is now covered by sandhills, and its See also:plan is imperfectly known. The See also:market-See also:place and a few public buildings were excavated in 1890–1891, but nothing of importance was found. See W. H. See also:Engel, Kypros (See also:Berlin, 1841 ; classical allusions) ; J.

A. R. See also:

Munro and H. A. Tubbs, Journ. Hellenic Studies, xii. 59 if., 298 if. (site and monuments); British Museum, Excavations in Cyprus (See also:London, 1900; Mycenaean tombs); G. F. See also:Hill, Brit. See also:Mus. See also:Cat.

Coins of Cyprus (London, 1904; coins). (J. L.

End of Article: SALAMIS

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