kingdom · Greece and the Aegean

Kingdom of Salamis

1100 BCE – 306 BCE (approx.) · capital Salamis

The leading city-kingdom of ancient Cyprus, whose king Evagoras I united much of the island and defied the Persian Empire for a decade.

Origins

Salamis was founded on the east coast of Cyprus in the 11th century BCE, succeeding nearby Enkomi as its harbour silted up. Greek tradition named Teucer, brother of Ajax, as its founder. Its royal tombs of the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, with chariots and sacrificed horses, recall Homeric burial customs.

Rule and society

The kings of Salamis were often the most powerful on Cyprus. Evelthon struck some of the island's earliest coins in the 6th century BCE, and Onesilus led the Cypriot revolt against Persia in 498 BCE. Evagoras I, who reigned from 411 to 374 BCE, promoted Greek culture, allied with Athens and fought the Achaemenid Empire until a negotiated peace in 380 BCE.

Decline and legacy

The last king, Nicocreon, allied with Ptolemy I and died c. 310 BCE, and in 306 BCE Demetrius Poliorcetes won a great naval battle off Salamis. The kingdom then passed under the Ptolemaic Empire. Salamis remained a major city, renamed Constantia, until abandoned after the Arab raids of the 7th century CE.

Connections (3)

More states of Greece and the Aegean →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Salamis. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-salamis
MLA
“Kingdom of Salamis.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-salamis. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Salamis.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-salamis.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Salamis’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-salamis (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻