Cyprus
Résumé
The evidence for Persian presence in Cyprus is limited and ambiguous: the Persian siege ramp and the Hadji Abdullah palace at Palaepaphos, and the palace of Vouni with its treasure, are the main elements to discuss. Persian influences on Cypriot civilization are linked to the circulation of Persian objects in the island (metal bowls, jewelry, seals), but they also follow more indirect paths, through the intermediation of close regions (Ionia, Phoenicia); the particular case of the assimilation of some Achaemenid high-status symbols (torque, “mitra”) seems connected in Cyprus to the legitimization of a common, pan-Cypriot model of kingship, especially represented in Salamis.