SALAMIS, the principal city of ancient Cyprus, situated on the east coast north of the river Pedias (Pediaeus). It had a good harbour, well situated for commerce with Phoenicia, Egypt and Cilicia, which was replaced in mediaeval times by Famagusta (q.v.), and is wholly silted now. Its trade was mainly in corn, wine and oil from the midland plain, and in salt from the neigh bouring lagoons. Traditionally, Salamis was founded after the Trojan War (c. Ii8o B.C.) by Teucer from the island Salamis, off Attica, but there was a Mycenaean colony somewhat earlier.
A king Kisu of Silna (Salamis) is mentioned in a list of tribu taries of Assur-bani-pal of Assyria in 668 B.C., and Assyrian in fluence is seen in terra-cotta figures from a shrine excavated in 189o-1891. Salamis seems to have been the principal Hellenic power in the island. The revolts against Persia in 500 B.C., 386 380 B.C. and 352 B.C. were led respectively by its kings Onesilas, Evagoras (q.v.) and Pnytagoras. In 3o6 B.C. Demetrius Polior cetes won a great naval victory here over Ptolemy I. of Egypt. Under Egyptian and Roman administration Salamis flourished greatly, though the seat of government was at New Paphos (see PAPHOS) . But it was greatly damaged in the Jewish revolt of A.D.
I I 6-117; suffered repeatedly from earthquakes, and was wholly rebuilt by Constantius II. (A.D. 337-361) under the name Con stantia. There was a large Jewish colony, and a Christian corn munity was founded by Paul and Barnabas in A.D. Barna bas was himself a Cypriote, and his reputed tomb, discovered in A.D. 477, is still shown near the monastery of Ail Barnaba. St. Epiphanius was archbishop A.D. 367-402. The Greek city was destroyed by the Arabs under the Caliph Moawiya in 647 ; Chris tian survivors migrated to the neighbouring Ammochostos (see FAMAGUSTA).
See W. H. Engel, Kypros (Berlin, 1841 ; classical allusions)_; J. A. R. Munro and H. A. Tubbs, Journ. Hellenic Studies, xii. 59 ff., 298 ff. (site and monuments) ; British Museum, Excavations in Cyprus (London, 1899 ; Mycenaean tombs) ; G. F. Hill, Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins of Cyprus (London, 1904; coins) ; J. L. Myres, Archaeologia, lxvi. 159-178 ("Prison of St. Catharine") ; E. Oberhummer in Pauly Wissowa (s.v.). (J. L. My.)