ASSYRIAN AND EGYPTIAN PERIODS

ASSYRIAN AND EGYPTIAN PERIODS (c. 800-550 B.C.) History of Cyprus

At a time when Greeks and Phoenicians were colonizing separate areas of Cyprus, and no doubt regarding each other warily, new powers were building up in the East. The Assyrian Empire had come into existence, and Sargon II, the ruler responsible for leading the Children of Israel into captivity, received the homage of seven Cypriot kings. (The relevant inscription is on a stele in the custody of the Berlin Museum.) In 668 B.C. ten local kings of Cyprus joined Assur-bani-pal the Assyrian in an expedition against Egypt. But the pendulum swung back: Egypt recovered, and Nineveh was taken by the Medes in 612 B.C. In 588-69 the Egyptians defeated the Cypriots and Phoenicians at sea, but did not immediately pursue victory to the point of conquest of the island. Egypt had now become the dominant power in the Mediterranean. Though Amasis (Pharaoh, 570-25 B.C.) fostered good relations with Greece, his diplomacy did not extend to Cyprus. He seized the island and exacted tribute, partly in the form of timber for shipbuilding, in which Egypt was deficient. Evelthon, King of Salamis, reigned supreme over the minor kingdoms of the island, and was responsible to Egypt. This was a period of prosperity, mirrored in the art of the day. The best of the Ayia Irini discoveries date from c. 625 to 560 B.C

	Price: 84950 GBP Villa in Catalkoy North Cyprus