Salamıs

The city of Salamis was founded during the migrations that started towards the end of the Bronze Age by the tribes that came from Anatolia, and Akas who came from Greece and joined them in Kilikya.
The founder of the city is Tefkros – the son of Telamon who was a Trojan hero and the king of Salamis island. After the Assyrian domination in 707 B.C., it is understood from the coins minted in 560 B.C. that the Salamis king Evelthon gained sovereignty over Cyprus. The attempt by Kimon of Athens in 499 B. C. to put an end to Persian dominance of the island failed and upon the death of Kimon, the Athenians gave up on their plans to capture the island.
Following this, the Phoenicians govern the island but a recession in trade and other fields starts. In 411 B.C. Evagoras, a descendant of Tefkros, seizes power in Salamis. When he attempts to take over the whole of Cyprus, the Persians lay siege to Salamis and force him to pay taxes to the Persian Kingdom.
This state of affairs continues until the Iskender period. When Pyntagoras, the king of Salamis in this period, provides military aid to Iskender he gets rewarded by being given the city of Tamusus.
After Iskender’s death, Salamis keeps falling into different hands all the time. Following the invasion of Cyprus by the Ptolemes under difficult conditions in 294 B.C., the islanders enjoy a period of calm and Salamis becomes the capital of the island. The prosperous conditions of the city continue during the Roman period as well. The present ruins mostly belong to the Roman period. Under Roman rule, the city has a publicassembly, a senate, and a council of elders. The city suffers a lot of destruction because of earthquakes in 76 and 77 A.D. and during the Jewish riots in 116 A.D.. The city is then annexed to the Antioch province and since the harbour of Salamis becomes the first stop of Syrian ships, a period of prosperity starts.
The earthquakes of 232 and 342 A.D., however, cause great destruction to the city once again. The Byzantine emperor Konstantinus rebuilds the city on a smaller scale and names it after himself.
The city replaces Paphos as the capital of Cyprus. The people of Salamis abandon the city in 647 A.D. because of the raids of Arabs and earhquakes and settle in the area now known as Famagusta. Architectural Remains The city-walls and the harbours In addition to the walls to the West, North and South of the city, a second wall has been discovered surrounding the inner city. These walls are thought to have been built in the 7th century A.D. for protection against the Arab raids. To the South-east of the city lies the oldest harbour of Salamis. The North and South of this harbour was protected by man-made breakwaters. The second harbour used in the late Roman period, on the other hand is to the North of the city. Apart from these two, a third harbour used by Demetius is also mentioned in some sources.

Gymnasium
According to the inscription on the floor of the Southern entrance, there used to be a gymnasium dating back to the Hellenistic period on the very spot where the present Roman gymnasium is situated. It is stated on an inscription on the East pavilion, on the other hand, that this place was once used as a garden. The gymnasium was restored in the Augustus period and an Eastern pavilion added as some parts had been damaged after earthquakes. There are pavilions on all four sides with columns of kronit, two swimming pools on the Northern and Southern ends with statues around them. The present statues around the swimming pool to the North date from the 2nd century A.D.. The gymnasium was destroyed in the earthquakes in 332 and 342 A. D. and was later reconstructed by Constantinus as the Salamis baths.
The Theatre
The theatre to the South of the Gymnasium was probably built in the Augustus period. The stone from the theatre which was destroyed by earthquakes in the 4th century was used in the construction of baths. The theatre comprises the stage building, the orchestra, and seating arrangements for 15 thousand audience. The stage building had a twofold function: it was used as a dressing room by the actors and it provided the stage with a background. What has remained today from this magnificent building ornamented with frescoes, statues and columns is the foundation stones. In the middle of the orchestra in the centre, there is an altar dedicated to Dionysos, and two bases with inscriptions dedicated to Marcus Avurelius Commedus and Caesar Maksimianus. Although there used to be more than 50 rows of seats only part of this has survived. The empty space in the middle is the box for dignitaries. Part of the rows of seats have been restored.
The Roman Villa
This is situated to the South of the theatre. It used to have two storeys. It contains an entrance with pillars, a courtyard, and a large living-room. The other rooms are located on either side of the courtyard. During excavations here, a platform with a mosaic floor covered with animal pictures surrounding a central figure has been discovered.
The Byzantine Cistern
This funnel shaped cistern lying to the South-east of the Roman villa is composed of three sections. In one section there are murals and writing. The main panel which is largely destroyed contains a water scene with birds, fish and water plants and a medallion with the effigy of the head of Christ.
The Companapetra Basilica
The basilica was constructed in the 4th century. It has a central and side sections, with a well in the courtyard and it is surrounded with columns. In the central section is the bishop’s pulpit and places for priests. Behind the apsis is another group of remains evidently including a bath. One of the rooms has a quite dazzling mosaic floor.
The St. Epiphanios Basilica
This structure which is the largest basilica of Cyprus known to date was the Metropolitan church of Salamis. It is known to have been constructed during Bishop Epiphanios’s term of service (386-403). The marble tomb of Epiphanios is also here. The basilica is divided into three different sections by two sets of 14 columns. In the apsis are the benches for the bishop and priests. The rooms on either side of this section were used by the priests to put their robes on and to store the things used during the ceremonies. The heating system below floor level in the baptistery indicates that warm water was being used in Winter months for baptizing. After the Arab invasion in the 7th century a second smaller church was constructed to the South of the Basilica.
Cistern - Vouta
In this section which dates back to the years 627-640 (the Byzantine period), water brought from Kythrea (Degirmenlik) was being kept with the help of pipes. Today, the remains of the aqueduct can still be seen. The columns which carried the conduits were supported by big shafts on a long wall.
Agora ( Public Square - Marketplace)
This building is to the South of the cistern. It is composed of a square in the middle and surrounding shops. It is understood to be both a marketplace and the assembly place for judicial activity and public business. From a panel in Latin it is understood to have been restored in the Augustos period. The pillared pavilions on two sides of the Agora provided shelter from the rain and the sun. Only one of these has survived.
The Zeus Temple
Only a small section of this structure which may have been the main temple of the city of Salamis has survived. It was situated on the South end of Agora and could be accessed by a staircase. A tablet found during the excavations reveals that the temple has been dedicated to Zeus Olympios in Augustus’s wife Livia’s honour. The Royal Tombs The Salamis Necropolis covers an area of roughly 4 square miles and stretches from Enkomi to the West end of the Salamis forest and to the St. Barnabas Monastery. Because of the structural styles and the rich findings of some of the tombs that have been uncovered they have been named as the Royal Tombs. Their main architectural feature is the long, wide, sloping ground in front of the burial chamber. This is where the horses pulling the hearse were sacrificed in honour of the deceased, and earthenware jars of oil, wine and honey were lined. Studies indicate that the tombs were made in the 8th century B.C. and were used until the 4th century A.D.. Tombs numbered 47, 50 and 79 in particular contained rich findings. The tomb numbered 50 was also used as a small church dedicated to St. Catherine. It is also known with the name ‘St. Catherine prison’ as St. Catherine is believed to have been kept here after converting to Christianity by his uncle who was the Salamis administrator. A lot of earthenware pots and pans, things made of bronze and ivory and the skeletons of the sacrificed horses have been uncovered during excavations. The Cellarga Mass-graves These mass-graves are the mass necropolis of the poor people of the period. They constitute part of the Salamis Necropolis, and lie 500 metres to the South-east of the Royal Tombs. The area in which around 120 graves have been found is known to have been used between 8th century B.C. and 4th century B.C.. The entrances to the tombs are closed with stone slabs; and there steps carved into the rock. New graves with chimney shaped zones were dug up on the area where the former mass-graves which were filled up in time used to be. They were not used after the 4th century B.C.. The remains of animals, statues, pots and pans found among the ashes of the fires burnt in front of the graves suggest that ceremonies of sacrifice and feasts were held here.

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