Cyprus: Historical Perspective
The Cyprus People
Cyprus Flag
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily and Sardinia, has an area of 3572 square miles and a population of just over 600,000 inhabitants of whom 82% are Greeks and the remaining are mostly Turks.
Located at the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean, at the path of conquest between most of the major contending cultures in man's history of war and conflict, Cyprus has been subjected to innumerable conquests and occupations.
During the thousand or so years before the Christian era, it was exchanged several times between the Greeks, Assyrians, and Egyptians, in addition to falling under Phoenician, Persian, and Babylonian influences. However, the Greeks made the greatest impact upon the ultimate culture of the island.
By the first century A.D., when Cyprus was under Roman rule, the population had increased to an estimated 500,000. However, plague, war, and famine had reduced the population below 100,000 by 324 A.D. By 400 A.D., Cyprus had been incorporated into the Byzantine Empire, where it remained for nearly seven hundred years. Although the island prospered and its population increased during this time, it was under constant assault by expanding Arab Kingdoms to the south.
It is estimated that in three centuries, ca. 648-965 A.D., Cyprus was invaded by Arabs no less that 24 times. The mountains of Cyprus were frequently a place of refuge from the invading armies. Cyprus was not drawn into the Crusades until late in the twelfth century, at which time it experienced an influx of western Europeans followed by Venetians and then by 300 years of Turkish rule.
As a result of these historical and cultural events throughout the past 3000 years, the island of Cyprus developed a very rich folklore, which has been passed from generation to generation.