Salamis is an ancient Greek city-state on the east coast of Cyprus, 6 km north of modern Famagusta. According to tradition, the founder of Salamis was Teucer, son of Telamon, who could not return home after the Trojan war because he had failed to avenge his brother Ajax. Salamis became the capital of Cyprus as far back as 1100 BC. Though Salamis maintained direct links with the Near East (Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Romans) during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, there were bonds with the Aegean as well.