Salamis (Constantia): the great ancient city of Cyprus's east coast
Salamis was a major city on Cyprus's eastern coast. Its archaeological record brings together royal burials, a harbour, Roman public buildings and a later Christian city — while also carrying the losses and limits of research after 1974.
A city beside the eastern sea
The Cyprus Department of Antiquities describes Salamis as one of the island's most important ancient cities and a major eastern emporium. It was a link between the Greek world and the Near East; its harbour exported products from Cyprus. The traditional story of Teucer belongs to the ancient literary tradition, not to an archaeological founding date.
Royal tombs and a changing city
The necropolis between Salamis and Enkomi was excavated by the Department of Antiquities from 1957 to 1967. Its monumental tombs, dated mainly to the 8th–6th centuries BCE, are called royal because of their scale and rich grave goods. They illuminate elite burial practices, but cannot by themselves describe all life in the city.
Roman monuments and Constantia
Excavations from 1952 to 1974 brought to light the theatre and gymnasium. The theatre's seating has been estimated at around 15,000, though only some original limestone seats survive. In the early Christian period the city was known as Constantia; the Arab raids of the 7th century CE ended its urban life.
A record with limits
Research and conservation are inseparable from the history of the site. Official Cypriot accounts note that archaeological activity halted in 1974 and that records and material stored at the site were later looted. Salamis should therefore be read not only as a sequence of ruins, but also as a heritage record whose documentation has been disrupted.