Legends & History of Cyprus

There are a number of sites of historic and legendary interest on the island. The Troodos Mountains are rich in Byzantine monasteries and churches, many of which contain exquisite frescoes.

Archaeologists report that the site of Paphos has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It was a centre of the cult of Aphrodite and of pre-Hellenic deities. Aphrodite’s mythical birthplace was on this island, where her temple was erected by the Mycenceans in the twelfth century BC. The remains of villas, palaces, theaters and fortresses and tombs of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods mean that the site is of exceptional architectural and historic value.

The port of Paphos was rebuilt by Nicocles, the last king of Paphos, at the time of Alexander III of Macedon. It became the capital of the island replacing Salamis during the Hellenistic era, under the successors of Alexander III of Macedon – the Ptolemies who favoured a location closer to their capital, Alexandria. The theatre dating to the end of the 4th century BC has been under excavation by the University of Sydney since 1995: it was partly excavated from its hillside setting and partly built up with earth embankments.