Cyprus, an island in the north-east section of the Mediterranean Sea, has been settled by humans since before the dawn of written history. Due to the obscure origins of the island’s early settlement, ancient Cypriots and their Greek neighbors envisioned that legendary figures from ancient Greece were involved in founding the cities on the island. In particular, Salamis in Cyprus—the preeminent hub of power during the island’s ancient history—had an origin story that linked the city to ancient Greek heroes and gods.
According to the ancient Greeks and Hellenized Cypriots, the city of Salamis in Cyprus was founded by the ancient Greek hero, Teucer (also known as Teucros). He was the half-brother of the famous warrior, Ajax (also known as Aias), and they shared the father, Telamon—king of the island of Salamis. Teucer and Ajax played a prominent role in the Iliad, by Homer (c. 9th and 8th century BCE). In that text, the character, Agamemnon, praised Teucer, stating: “Teucer, dear friend, son of Telamon, leader of men, carry on like this and you will save the Greeks and bring glory to your father Telamon, who took you under his roof and reared you even though you were an illegitimate son” (Homer, Iliad, book 8, between lines 280-290). According to legend, Ajax and Teucer had divine blood in their veins, as the parents of their father, Aeacus, had been the high-god, Zeus, and the nymph, Aegina. From their ancestry, Ajax and Teucer inherited great strength and skill, with Ajax becoming a close-combat warrior with might that was only surpassed by Achilles, whereas Teucer became a deadly archer of great renown. They fought alongside each other as a formidable duo, each providing assistance and cover for the other during the Trojan War.
Unfortunately, the Trojan War left Ajax emotionally scarred; he suffered successive bouts of rage, madness, and depression until he regrettably took his own life. Tragedy begot more tragedy, for when news of the death reached home to Telamon, the grieving father developed a grudge against Teucer over his failure to intervene and stop Ajax’s decline. Ultimately, Telamon banished Teucer from the island of Salamis, and it was this incident which prompted Teucer to found a new city of Salamis on the island of Cyprus. Isocrates (c. 436-338 BCE), an Athenian speechwriter, orator, and teacher of rhetoric—who happened to educate King Nicocles of Salamis in Cyprus (r. 374-361 BCE)—wrote of Teucer’s connection to the city. Isocrates stated, “…Achilles above all distinguished himself in these perils. And Ajax was second to him in valor, and Teucer, who proved himself worthy of their kinship and inferior to none of the other heroes, after he had helped in the capture of Troy, went to Cyprus and founded Salamis, giving to it the name of his former native land; and he left behind him the family that now reigns” (Isocrates, Evagoras, 18). The reigning family Isocrates mentioned, of course, was his pupil, King Nicocles, and Nicocles’ predecessor, King Evagoras (flourished 410-374 BCE).
Myths, legends and folklore, while usually not an accurate portrayal of history, are often inspired by grains of truth. This can likely be said in the case of the tale of Teucer and the founding of Salamis in Cyprus. The Trojan War era setting of the tale matches fairly well with archaeological evidence of an influx of Greek presence on Cyprus that began between 1400-1200 BCE. It has also been theorized that the name of Teucer (or Teucros) may somehow be linked to the Tjekker seafarers, associated with the mysterious Sea Peoples who raided and occupied many locations in the Eastern Mediterranean at the end of the Bronze Age. In particular, the Sea Peoples are known to have targeted Cyprus in 1193 BCE. Whatever the case, by the time of King Evagoras of Salamis and his successor, Nicocles, it was evident that the people of Salamis in Cyprus, or at least the royal family, had adopted the origin tale that their city had been founded by the Greek hero, Teucer, after the Trojan War.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Picture Attribution: (Ajax and Teucer, made by Tommaso Piroli in 1805 after John Flaxman, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons and the Rijksmuseum.).
Sources:
- The Iliad by Homer, translated by E. V. Rieu and edited/introduced by Peter Jones. New York: Penguin Classics, 2014.
- Evagoras, by Isocrates, translated by George Norlin (Harvard University Press, 1980), and reprinted in The Complete Works of Isocrates (Delphi Classics, 2016).
- https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0144%3Aspeech%3D9
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Evagoras
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Salamis-ancient-city-Cyprus
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Cyprus/History
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sea-People
- https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Egypt/Ramses-II#ref306793
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Isocrates
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ajax-the-Greater
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Homer-Greek-poet
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sea-People
- https://nomisma.org/id/http://nomisma.org/id/nicocles_salamis
