Salamis

—Salaminian /sal'euh min"ee euhn/, adj.

/sal"euh mis/; Gk. /sah'lah mees"/, n.

1. an island off the SE coast of Greece, W of Athens, in the Gulf of Aegina: Greeks defeated Persians in a naval battle 480 B.C. 20,000; 39 sq. mi. (101 sq. km).

2. an ancient city on Cyprus, in the E Mediterranean: the apostle Paul made his first missionary journey to Salamis. Acts 13:5.

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Ancient city, Cyprus.

Located on Cyprus's eastern coast, it had an active trade with Phoenicia, Egypt, and Cilicia. According to tradition, it was founded by Teucer, a hero of the Trojan War. A major Hellenic centre during the struggles between Greece and Persia, it was the scene of a Greek naval victory in 449 BC; in 306 BC the Macedonian king Demetrius I (Poliorcetes) defeated Ptolemy I (Soter) of Egypt near there. The city was visited later by SS Paul and Barnabas. It was known as Constantia after the Byzantine emperor Constantius II rebuilt it (AD 337–61). It was abandoned after its destruction by the Arabs in 647–48.

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▪ ancient city, Cyrpus

      principal city of ancient Cyprus, located on the east coast of the island, north of modern Famagusta. According to the Homeric epics, Salamis was founded after the Trojan War by the archer Teucer, who came from the island of Salamis, off Attica. This literary tradition probably reflects the Sea Peoples' (Sea People) occupation of Cyprus (c. 1193 BC), Teucer perhaps representing Tjekker of the Egyptian records. Later, the city grew because of its excellent harbour; it became the chief Cypriot outlet for trade with Phoenicia, Egypt, and Cilicia.

      Salamis came under Persian control in 525 BC. In 306 BC Demetrius I Poliorcetes of Macedonia won a great naval victory there over Ptolemy I of Egypt. Salamis was sacked in the Jewish revolt of AD 115–117 and suffered repeatedly from earthquakes; it was completely rebuilt by the Christian emperor Constantius II (reigned AD 337–361) and given the name Constantia. Under Christian rule, Salamis was the metropolitan see of Cyprus. Destroyed again by the Arabs under Muʿāwiyah (c. 648), the city was thereafter abandoned.

▪ island, Greece

Modern Greek  Salamís,  

      island and town, nomós (department) of Attikí, Greece. The island lies in the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, west of the city of Piraeus. The town (the present combined municipality of Salamís-Naústathmos) is a port on the west coast of the island. On the east, between the island and the mainland, are the straits in which the Greeks won a decisive naval victory over the Persians in 480 BC. Pop. (1981) town, 20,437; island, 28,574.

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