According to the legend about the foundation, Teucer, whose father was Telemon was never able to come back to his homeland after the war. It was his failure to successfully avenge “Ajax,” his brother who was killed during the battle with Troy. There is evidence, as mentioned earlier that the area was already inhabited but it was designed to take the place Engkomi. There is not much in the way of concrete proof to support the story but yet it remains as either legend or myth as part of the island. Alexander explained that he no longer trusted the governor of Cyprus with control of the isle and the replacement Menelaus the king was appointed. Nicocreon was the former leader removed and he was forced to commit suicide.
Upon the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC there was a very rocky period, and the move toward Hellenisation begin to intensify. It was Salamis in 306 BC where the infamous ship battle was waged with the ruler of Egypt. It was Demetrius who emerged as the victor and he continued on to assume control of the island.
The fight for supremacy continued under Demetrius the first, but by 294 BC the Ptolemaic kingdom had regained control. Cyprus remained under that rule until 58 BC when it became a Roman province. During Roman rule, Cyprus become thoroughly Hellenised. Cyprus became the first Roman province to be ruled by a Christian governor, and by the first century, it was featured as a setting for many of the stories in the New Testament.