Must-see
Ancient Salamis
One of the main city-kingdoms; on the exam, a monument in the occupied areas
The story
Salamis was one of the main ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus, on the east coast north of Famagusta. The city lived for more than fifteen hundred years, and in late antiquity it was called Constantia. From Roman times a theater and a large gymnasium complex with baths survive. Finds from the royal tombs, including a bed decorated with ivory, two thrones and a bronze cauldron, are on display in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, along with statues from the gymnasium. Large excavations went on here until 1974. Since then Salamis has been in the north of the island, which the Republic of Cyprus does not control, and the Department of Antiquities cannot work there.
To the question of which archaeological site is in the areas occupied by the Turkish army, the right answer is the ancient city of Salamis, Αρχαία πόλη της Σαλαμίνας. Choirokoitia, Kourion and Amathus are wrong options: they are in the south, in the Larnaca and Limassol districts.
Visiting
To cross to the north you need a passport or ID card; the nearest crossing points to Famagusta are, for example, at Deryneia. Car insurance from the south usually does not apply in the north, and separate insurance is sold at the crossing; a rental car often may not be taken north, so check your contract. The ticket office is at the northern entrance; check the opening hours and entry fee on site.
Photos
Sources
- Department of Antiquities, Cyprus: Historical Background (large-scale excavations at Salamis before and after 1960; all legal archaeological work in the occupied areas halted in 1974)
- Department of Antiquities, Cyprus: Cyprus Museum, Lefkosia (Room XI: royal tombs of Salamis, ivory-decorated bed, two thrones, bronze cauldron; Room XIII: sculptures from the Roman gymnasium)
- Institut für Interdisziplinäre Zypern-Studien, Univ. Münster: Rogge, Ioannou, Mavrojannis (eds.), Salamis of Cyprus. History and Archaeology from the Earliest Times to Late Antiquity, Schriften 13 (2019)
- Exam question bank card (unofficial study collection): archaeological site in the occupied areas, answer Αρχαία πόλη της Σαλαμίνας
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