ABSTRACT
On Gallio Paul's first missionary journey he and Barnabas, with John to assist them, sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus, landed at Salamis, and went through the whole island as far as Paphos. There are two ranges of mountains on Cyprus, the northern range called Kyrenia and the western range named Troodos. In raw materials Cyprus is especially rich in copper. In the cuneiform sources, in which the island is called Alashiya, there is frequent reference to its export of copper; such referenees are found in texts from Ebla, Mari, and Amarna. Archeological excavations by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, the Swedish Cyprus Expedition, and the American Schools of Oriental Research have revealed something of the earliest history of Cyprus. In the eighth and seventh centuries B.C. the Assyrians controlled most of Cyprus. Cyprus was especially important in Greek mythology, as we learn from Homer, Hesiod, and other ancient writers.
