Time chart of the history of Cyprus

8200 to 3900 BC - NEOLITHIC AGE

Remains of the oldest known settlements in Cyprus date from this period. This civilization developed along the North and South coasts. At first only stone vessels were used. By 5000 BC pottery was in use.

3900 to 2500 BC - CHALCOLITHIC AGE

Transitional period between the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Most Chalcolithic settlements are found in Western Cyprus, where a fertility cult developed. Copper was discovered and exploited on a large scale.

2500 to 1050 BC - BRONZE AGE

Copper was extensively exploited bringing wealth to Cyprus. Trade developed with the Near East, Egypt and the Aegean, where Cyprus was known under the name of Alasia.
After 1400 BC Mycenaeans from Greece reached the island as merchants. During the 12th and 11th centuries mass waves of Achaean Greeks came to settle on the island spreading the Greek language, religion and customs. They gradually took control of Cyprus and established the first city- kingdoms of Pafos, Salamis, Kition and Kourion. The Hellenisation of the island had begun.

1050 to 750 BC - GEOMETRIC PERIOD

Cyprus became a Greek island with ten city kingdoms. The cult of the Goddess Aphrodite flourished in Cyprus, her birthplace.
The Phoenicians settled at Kition.
The 8th century BC was a period of great prosperity

750 to 325 - ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL PERIOD

The era of prosperity continued, but the island fell prey to several conquerors. The Cypriot Kingdoms became successively tributary to Assyria, Egypt and Persia. King Evagoras of Salamis (who ruled from 411 to 374 BC) unified Cyprus and made the island one of the leading political and cultural centers of the Greek world.

333 to 325 BC

The city- kingdoms of Cyprus welcomed Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia. Cyprus became part of his empire.


325 to 58 BC - HELLENISTIC PERIOD

After the rivalries for succession between Alexander's generals Cyprus eventually came under the Hellenistic state of the Ptolemies of Egypt, becoming part of the Greek Alexandrine world. The Ptolemies abolished the city-kingdoms and unified Cyprus. Pafos became the capital.


58 BC to 330 AD - ROMAN PERIOD

Cyprus came under the rule of the Roman Empire. During the missionary journey of Saints Paul and Barnabas the Proconsul Sergius Paulus was converted to Christianity and Cyprus became the first country to be governed by a Christian.
Destructive earthquakes occurred during the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Cities were rebuilt. In 313 AD the Edict of Milan granted freedom of worship to Christians. Cypriot bishops attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.

330 to 1191 AD - BYZANTINE PERIOD

After the division of the Roman Empire Cyprus came under the Eastern Roman Empire, known as Byzantium, with Constantinople as its capital. Christianity became the official religion. The Empress Helena visited Cyprus and founded Stavrovouni Monastery. New earthquakes during the 4th century AD completely destroyed the main cities. New cities arose. Constantia became the capital and large basilicas were built from the 4th to the 5th century AD.
In 488 AD, after the tomb of St. Barnabas was found, Emperor Zeno granted the Church of Cyprus full autonomy and gave the Archbishop the privileges of holding a scepter instead of a pastoral staff, wearing a purple mantle and signing in red ink. In 647 AD Arabs invaded the island under Muawiya.
For 3 centuries Cyprus was constantly under attack by Arabs and pirates until 965 AD, when Emperor Nicephoros expelled Arabs from Asia Minor and Cyprus.

1191 to 1192 - RICHARD THE LIONHEART AND THE TEMPLARS

Isaac Comnenus, self-proclaimed 'Emperor' of Cyprus behaved discourteously to the survivors of a shipwreck involving ships of Richard's fleet on their way to the Third Crusade. Richard in revenge defeated Isaac, and took possession of Cyprus, marrying Berengaria of Navarre in Lemesos, where she was crowned Queen of England.
A year later he sold the island for 100, 000 dinars to the Knights Templars who resold it at the same price to Guy de Lusignan, deposed King of Jerusalem.


1192 to 1489 - FRANKISH (LUSIGNAN) PERIOD

Cyprus was ruled using a feudal system and the Catholic Church officially replaced the Greek Orthodox, which though under severe suppression managed to survive. The city of Ammochostos became one of the richest in the Near East. During this period the historical names of Lefkosia, Ammochostos and Lemesos were referred to as Nicosia, Famagusta and Limassol respectively. The era of the Lusignan period ended when the last Queen Catherine Cornaro ceded Cyprus to Venice in 1489.

1489 to 1571 - VENETIAN PERIOD

Venetians viewed Cyprus as a last bastion against the Ottomans in the Eastern Mediterranean. They fortified the island, tearing down lovely buildings in Lefkosia to reduce the boundaries of the city within the fortified walls. They also built impressive walls around Ammochostos, considered at the time as works of art of military architecture.

1571 to 1878 - OTTOMAN PERIOD

In 1570 Ottoman troops attacked Cyprus, captured Lefkosia, slaughtered 20,00 people and lay siege to Ammochostos for a year. The Venetian commander Marc Antonio Bragadin bravely but unsuccessfully defended the city against the Ottoman commander Lala Mustafa. The defeated Bragadin was flayed and all his troops killed. On annexation to the Ottoman Empire, the Latin leadership was expelled or converted to Islam and the Greek Orthodox Church was restored. The Archbishop became the people's representative to the Sultan. When the Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821, the Archbishop of Cyprus, Kyprianos, three bishops and prominent Cypriots were executed. The Muslim minority during the Ottoman period eventually acquired a Cypriot identity.

1878 to 1960 - BRITISH PERIOD

Under the 1878 Cyprus Convention, Britain assumed administration of the island. It remained formally part of the Ottoman Empire until the latter entered the First World War on the side of the Germans. Britain, in consequence, annexed Cyprus in 1914. In 1923 under the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey relinquished all rights to Cyprus. In 1925 Cyprus was declared a Crown colony. From 1940 Cypriot volunteers served in the British Armed Forces throughout the Second World War. Hopes for the granting of self-determination in the post war period were shattered when the British retained control of the island because of its vital strategic position. In 1955 the national struggle for liberation from British colonialism was launched in favour of union between Cyprus and Greece. It continued until 1959.

1960 - REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
According to the Zurich - London Treaty, Cyprus became an independent republic on 16th of August 1960.
It is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned movement.
According to the above treaty, Britain retains two Sovereign Bases, Dhekelia and Akrotiri-Episkopi.
The 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus proved to be unworkable and smooth implementation was impossible.
In 1963 the President of the Republic proposed some amendments to facilitate the functioning of the state. The Turkish Cypriot ministers withdrew from the Cabinet and Turkish Cypriot civil servants ceased attending their offices.
On July 20th 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus resulting in the violent occupation of 37% of the island by Turkish troops.

Many Cypriots were forced from their homes leaving behind everything they owned.

The division of the island has continued to the present day. But there is great hope that the current negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations, will result in a solution to the problems before the island's accession to full membership of the European Union in the next round of enlargement.