ABOUT CYPRUS - HISTORY

A Brief pre-history

A number of discoveries during the past twenty years have greatly enhanced our knowledge of the early pre-history of Cyprus. The earliest confirmed site of human activity is 'Aetokremnos', situated on the 'Akrotiri Peninsula' on the south coast, indicating that hunter-gatherers were active on the island from around 10,000 BC.

During the Painted-Pottery Neolithic and ‘Chalcolithic’ periods that followed, small scale settlements and activity areas were in use all over the island, and the people of Cyprus produced decorated pottery and figurines of stone quite distinct from the cultures of the surrounding mainland.

In the 6^th Century BC, Amasis of Egypt conquered Cyprus, which soon fell under the rule of the Persians when Cambyses conquered Egypt. In the Persian Empire, Cyprus formed part of the fifth satrapy, and in addition to tribute the island had to supply the Persians with ships and crews. In this fate the Greeks of Cyprus had as companions the Greeks of Ionia (on the west coast of Anatolia), with whom they forged close ties. When the Ionian Greeks revolted against Persia in 499 BC, they were joined by the Cypriots, except for the city of Amathus. The Cypriots were led by Onesilos, who dethroned his brother, the king of Salamis, for not wanting to fight for independence. The Persians reacted quickly, sending a considerable force against Onesilos and eventually putting down the Cypriot rebellion despite Ionian help.

After this defeat, the Greeks mounted various expeditions in attempt to take Cyprus from Persian rule, but all their efforts bore only temporary results. The Island eventually regained Greek leadership under Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), although later it came under control of the Ptolemies of Egypt and finally was annexed by Rome in 58-57 BC. Cyprus was visited by the Christian Apostles Paul of Tarsus and Barnabas, accompanied by St. Mark, who came to the island at the outset of their first missionary journey in 45 AD. After their arrival at Salamis, they proceeded to Paphos where they converted the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus to Christianity.

Cyprus: An Ancient Myth

The Centaur floor mosaic in Paphos is the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, of beauty and love, also known as Kypris or the Cyprian. According to Hesiod’s Theogony, the goddess emerged fully grown from the sea where the severed genitals of the god Uranus were cast by his son Kronos, causing the sea to foam (Greek: Aphros). Her birth was famously depicted by the artist Botticelli in The Birth of Venus. The legendary site of Aphrodite's birth is at ‘Petra Tou Romiou’ (“Aphrodite’s Rock”), a large sea stack close to the coastal cliffs near Paphos. Throughout ancient history Cyprus was a flourishing centre for the cultic worship of Aphrodite.
Other mythological characters associated with Cyprus are the king Cinyras, Teucer (the founder of Salamis), the Cypriot sculptor Pygmalion, and (in some versions) Adonis.

Modern Era (1975-post)

On August 16, 1960, Cyprus gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Archbishop Makarios III, a charismatic religious and political leader, was elected the first president of independent Cyprus. In 1961 it became the 99^th Member of the United Nations (UN)

The Zurich agreement, however, did not succeed in establishing cooperation between the Greek and the Turkish Cypriot populations. The Greek Cypriots argued that the complex mechanisms introduced to protect Turkish Cypriot interests were obstacles to efficient government.

Both sides continued the violence. Turkey threatened to invade the island.

In November 1963, President Makarios advanced a series of constitutional amendments designed to eliminate some of these special provisions. The Turkish Cypriots opposed such changes. The confrontation prompted widespread inter-communal fighting in December 1963, after which Turkish Cypriot participation in the central government ceased.

UN peacekeepers were deployed on the island in 1964.  The force, UNFICYP, included Canadian, Irish and Finnish troops. Its mandate was to prevent fighting, maintain law and order. In 1964 the Turkish parliament voted in favour of the invasion of Cyprus but the lack of support that Turkey faced from both the UN and NATO prevented it. In answer, Grivas was recalled to Athens and the Greek military force left the island. Following another outbreak of inter-communal violence in 1967-68, a Turkish Cypriot provisional administration was formed.

In July 1974, the legitimate president was overthrown by an Athens orchestrated coup carried out by the Cypriot National Guard. Turkey then invaded Cyprus on July 20. In a two-stage offensive, Turkish troops took control of 38% of the island. 200,000 Greek Cypriots fled the Turkish forces while up to 60,000 Turkish Cypriots were transferred to the occupied areas by the United Nations and British SBA authorities after threats from Turkey. Since then, the southern part of the country has been under the control of the internationally recognised Cyprus government and the northern part under a Turkish Cypriot subordinate local administration supported by the presence of Turkish troops.

In 1983, the 1974 Turkish-occupied area declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions that have called the declaration "legally invalid" and as such it faces an international embargo. The United Nations have urged all states to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic Of Cyprus.

UN-led talks on the status of Cyprus resumed in December 1999 to prepare the ground for meaningful negotiations leading to a comprehensive settlement. Efforts to reunite the island under a federal structure continue, however, under the auspices of the United Nations.

On the 1^st May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union.