/ ancient history /
THE FACTS AND
MYTHS of Ancient Cyprus
Cyprus is a large Island situated
in the eastern part of the
Mediterranean Sea in Europe. It is
surrounded by Greece in the East,
The Levant in the West, Egypt
in the North, and Asia Minor in the
South. The Island was occupied
by the Assyrians, the Persians, the
Egyptians, including the Crusaders,
and the Venetians. The first
presence of humans on the Copper
rich Island was traced way back
to 7000 BCE.
A
CCORDING to historians, a
small group of settlers migrat-
ing from Palestine came to
reside on the Island (3900 BCE).
Due to the different uprisings
and the war in the eastern
region, the Mycenaean Greeks
preferred to settle in the Island in the 12th century,
and the locals assimilated the Greek culture, lan-
guage, and religion.
Achaean settlers from Argos founded the city of
Kourion which is close to Limassol. The Island was
conquered by Egypt, Persia, and was also invaded
by the Greeks many centuries ago. Cyprus had ten
kingdoms, and the conquerors had a high impact on
the character and cultural heritage of Cypriots.
There were different forms of dwarfs such as Pyg-
my hippos and dwarf elephants previously present in
ancient Cyprus Island before the arrival of humans
as evidenced by the archaeological findings of burnt
bones stacked in the camps. The early humans in the
Island lived in caves, and it was an agrarian commu-
nity, and the first animals in the Island were cattle,
pigs, sheep, dog, and goats, including wild animals
such as deer and foxes.
A toolkit discovered in the cave located at
Akrotiri Peninsula is the oldest evidence of human
presence in the Island.
THE ERA OF CIVILIZATION IN CYPRUS
The earliest signs of civilization came with the
building of round houses by the settlers; hence the
Neolithic period was marked by the erection of
round houses, stone vessels with an economy that
relied on animal husbandry, and lithic industry. Lots
of stone vessels were discovered during the excava-
tions conduct