INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY ON THE CYPRUS QUESTION

PART I: ORIGINS 6 The autochthonous inhabitants, the Eteocyprians (a technical name given by Archaeologists to differentiate the uncivilized population of Cyprus from their civilised descendants) accepted the Greek culture. On themodel of the Greek city states and following the Mycenaean systemof government many kingdoms have been established in Cyprus. Diodorus Siculus, the historian, refers to nine such kingdoms in the middle of the fourth century. The Cyprus kings following the Mycaenean precedent were at the same time high priests, judges and generals and the institution of Kingship was hereditary. Gradually the institution of the assembly of the people, the ecclesia, was developed to which the king was referring matters of administration for consideration. 6 The Kings of Cyprus retained their autonomy under the Egyptians and the Persians from the sixth century to the end of the fourth century B.C. even after the heroic but unsuccessful revolt under King Onesilus in the fifth century B.C. who tried to unite the Cypriots against the Persian domination. Next important King who united the cities of Cyprus under the leadership of Salamis was its King Evagoras the First. Evagoras carried a ten year war against the Persian yoke and during that struggle was greatly assisted by the Athenians whomade hima citizen of Athens. Evagoras is the most important statesman in the History of Cyprus who not only maintained and spread the Greek culture throughout Cyprus but transmitted it to the neighbouring countries. 7 The kings retained their sovereignty over their own cities during the time of Alexander the Great. When after his death in 323 B.C. a dispute arose over the possession of Cyprus between his successors Ptolemy and Antigonus, the kings of Cyprus were divided some of them support- ing the former whilst others supporting the latter, but eventually Cyprus came under Ptolemy who shortly afterwards was proclaimed as king Ptolemy. Cyprus remained under the Ptolemies for two and a half a centuries and during that time achieved a great degree of culture and prosperity. Cyprus was occupied by Rome in 58 B.C., as Greece had been occupied earlier (c. 146 B.C.) 8 and became part of the province of Cilicia governed by a proconsul. Among the early proconsuls was the famous orator Cicero. Under Augustus Cyprus became an imperial province. The introduction of Christianity to Cyprus was themost important event during this period of the Roman rule. On his first missionary journey in 45 A.D. Paul accompanied by Barnabas, a Cypriot, and Mark landed at Salamis and preached the new religion. The conversion to Christianity was 6. See Casson, Ancient Cyprus, ante , pp. 143-157; Spyridakis, A Brief History of Cyprus, ante , pp. 11, 16-22, where reference is made to the most important kings such as Evagoras and Onesilus of Salamis and Cinyras of Paphos. 7. Isocrates, the friend and the tutor of his son Nicocles, considered Evagoras as the ideal ruler and described him as such in three orations which he presented to Nicocles. As to the three orations of Isocrates see Hill, A History of Cyprus , ante , p. 216, note 5, who refers to Forster, Isocrates Cypriot Orations (Oxford, 1912). 8. Hence Horace;s letter “Graecia capta, ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agresti Latio”, that is “Greece, having been conquered, captured the savage conqueror, and introduced the Arts into uneducated (and not agrarian or agricultural as has been occasionally translated) Latium.