Revaluing Roman Cyprus : local identity on an island in antiquity /

Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, is often neglected in the study of the Roman Empire and antiquity in general. Focusing on the period from the Roman annexation (58 BCE) until the mid-fourth century CE, this short book pushes back against the island's marginalization as a backwater in the Roman world, explaining Cyprus in terms of its geology, geography, local identities, connectivity versus insularism, Roman rule, sociocultural change, and existence in the ancient and modern imagination. The first chapter goes through ancient writers' views about the island, such as those of Pliny the Elder, Strabo, and Pausanias. The second centers on the Ptolemaic period, epigraphic evidence for its Roman proconsuls, and Cyprus's federal league. The third deals with Roman citizenship for inhabitants of Cyprus, refining previous ideas. The fourth and most interesting chapter concerns Cypriots' collective identity on a city-by-city tour with fascinating sections on city foundation myths and how these played into personal and group identities. Primarily intended for scholars but written in a pleasant, readable register, this well-written, well-organized, and informative book provides an up-to-date synthesis of existing and original ideas about Cyprus. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and faculty. --Timothy Donald Doran, California State University - Los Angeles