Prehistoric Cyprus

Period of history Bronze Age idol from Cyprus Museum, Nikosia. 2400–2000 BC Part of a series on the History of Cyprus Prehistoric Philia culture Alashiya Ancient Ten city-kingdoms Ionian revolt Ptolemaic kingdom Roman Cyprus Medieval Arab–Byzantine condominium Theme of Cyprus Kingdom of Cyprus Venetian Cyprus Ottoman Cyprus Modern British Cyprus Cyprus problem History by topic Timeline Ancient art Ancient pottery Earthquakes Cyprus portalvte The Prehistoric Period is the oldest part of Cypriot history. This article covers the period 11,000 to 800 BC and ends immediately before the documented history of Cyprus begins. Paleolithic Prior to the arrival of humans in Cyprus, only four terrestrial mammal species were present on the island, including the Cypriot pygmy hippopotamus and the Cyprus dwarf elephant, which were much smaller than their mainland ancestors as a result of insular dwarfism. The ancestors of these species arrived on Cyprus at least 200,000 years ago, with the other species being the Cypriot genet and the still living Cypriot mouse. The earliest humans to inhabit Cyprus were hunter gatherers who arrived on the island around 11,000–10,000 BC, with some of the old