Although a small country, Cyprus has an amazing cultural heritage. History in Cyprus dates as far back as 7000 BC. In this time the settlements along the north and south coasts of the island started.
Around 1400 BC, the first Greeks came to the island. They started the Hellenisation of the island.
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By 1050 BC Cyprus is considered to be a Greek island, with the language, culture and religion of Greece well established. Cyprus had ten city-kingdoms and by 800 BC it was a flourishing and prosperous country.
Since 750 BC Cyprus has been conquered several times by Assyria, Egypt and Persia. In 333 BC Alexander the Great claimed Cyprus as part of his empire. Cyprus continued to be part of the Hellenist Empire until 58 BC.
In 58 BC Cyprus became part of the Roman Empire.
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After the division of the Roman Empire Cyprus became part of Byzantium, with Constantinople as its capital.
From 1191 AD Cyprus was defeated by the crusader Richard the Lionheart.
From 1192 to 1489 Cyprus ruled under a feudal system and Catholicism became the official religion.
In1489 control of the island passes to the Venetians who took steps to fortify the island and build walls around the towns of Nicosia and Famagusta.
In1571 Ottoman trooped invades the island and Cyprus became part of the Ottoman Empire. Islam was introduced to the island and Catholicism was expelled. The Greek Orthodox religion was restored.
In 1878, under the Cyprus Convention, Britain assumed administration of the island although it remained part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1914 however, when the Ottomans entered the 1st World War on the side of the Germans, Britain annexed the island. In 1923 Turkey relinquishes all rights to Cyprus and in 1925 Cyprus was declared a Crown colony.
An armed struggle breaks out in 1955 against colonial rule, which lasts until 1960 when to the island was granted independence.