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Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
 
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SALAMIS

SALAMIS IN THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS.
BY ALEXANDER PALMA DI CESNOLÀ, F.S.A.,
page 131

des Melekiathon et des Pumiathon revint à la langue, aux types, aux usages nationaux. Cette réaction toute locale ue pouvait arrêter le courant qui poussait l'Occident en Asie, et quand Alexandre le Grand, porté par ce courant, eut envahi la Syrie, les rois grecs de Cypre, conduits par Pnytagoras, vinrent se joindre à lui et prendre leur part des victoires qui consacraient définitivement le triomphe de la Grèce sur la Perse. Citium ne put concourir à l'envahissement de la Phénicie à la prise de Tyr, mais elle dut sans doute à sa neutralité de perdre une partie de son territoire; néanmoins elle conserva son autonomie jusqu'au jour où l'île entière fut annexée à l'unité gréco-égyptienne, en attendant le moment où elle devait disparaître dans l'unité de l'Empire Romain."—M. de Vogué, Joum. Asiatique, 6Ser., tom. x, pp. 113-115.

Coins of the type with a lion's head have been placed next to those bearing the punch-marked reverse. They are also probably to be ascribed to Evagoras I. Of these, I have one (fig. 331) upon which the obverse has a lion's head, with open mouth, to the right; reverse, the forepart of a lion, with the paws elevated, and the head reclining in a somewhat unusual manner. Fig. 332 represents a class of coin of great interest for the bilingual inscription on it. The Cypriote characters are BA, NI, and correspond with the B. N. in Greek capitals below. It is to be referred to Nicocles, son of Evagoras I, King of Cyprus. The reverse bears (according to M. Six) a head of Aphrodite to the left, as seen upon several coins of Corinth. I introduce here (fig. 333) another coin of this king.
The accompanying figure (334) represents a very beautiful silver coin of Nicocreon, or Nicocles, King of Cyprus, inscribed on the obverse NI; on the reverse BA. for ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ. Next in order may be placed the undetermined and uncertain coins of Cyprus, among which is the type which bears on the obverse a bull statant to the left, with or without the so-called mihir, or flying bird, in the field overhead; on the reverse, with a rectangular countersunk compartment, a flying dove, a bird for which Athenaeus says Cyprus was celebrated,1 or an eagle (fig. 335). It is not very unlike the coins of Aristokypros, one of the earliest rulers of the island. Another coin in the collection is a variant of this type (fig. 336). They are known to and described by the authors to whom I have already frequently made reference. Another typeis that shown in fig. 337. This, M. Six informs me, is a coin of Stasioikos, King of Marion. The obverse bears a head ofJupiter, to the right, crowned with myrtle, before him a branch of myrtle; the reverse, a head of Aphrodite, to the right, crowned with myrtle; in the field, the Cypriote letters and MAPI. There is an example of this type in theBerlin Museum. The following figure (338) gives a type of a coin of Eva-goras I, King of Salamis. The obverse bearsa head of Hercules, beardless, to the right; the reverse, a wheel of four spokes. M. Six, in describing this coin, refers to another type which resembles this, but has on the reverse Hercules seated. A coin, perhaps of Evagoras II, with the same head of a lion with open jaws as in fig. 331, to the left, and below it a fish, on the obverse, and having a head of Pallas with a Corinthian casque to the right on the reverse (fig. 339), I place here, although it may be hereafter shown to be of later date than many which come after it in the series. It is not quite certain that this is a Cypriote coin. The type of coinage which bears on the obverse a lion's head, and on the reverse a cross of the kind called croix ancrée, is described by Mr. Lang, and probably comes next in order of date. An uncertain coin of common occurrence in Cypriote diggings 1 "Eximias ejus columbas celebrai Athenǽus."—Ortelius. (fig. 340) bears on the obverse a lion; on the reverse, a horse, with a star of eight points in the field. The following is a gilt silver coin (341), the obverse of which · bears the head of Apollo to the left, and the reverse a device called the croix ancrée by Mr. Lang. M. Six calls the cross ansée, and explains thepartly obliterated Cypriote letter in the handle, as

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