ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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The Roman conquest of Cyprus took place in 58 BC. and led to the acquisition by the Roman Republic of the Tolemaic Kingdom of Cyprus, which formed the new Roman province of Cyprus (Cyprus).

Background

In 80 BC Pharaoh Pharaoh Pharaoh Ptolemy IX and a concubine had been appointed king of Cyprus while his elder brother Ptolemy XII king of Egypt; Cyprus became so independent of the kingdom of Egypt, but maintained strong ties. In 67 BC, the young Roman nobleman Publio Clodio Pulcro, on his way to Cilicia, was captured by pirates; Clodio then asked Ptolemy of Cyprus to pay the ransom for his liberation, but he offered the pirates only two talents, unleashing the deceit of Clodio, who remained a prisoner of the pirates until the victory over the latter of Pompey the year. In 58 BC. Clodio became a tribune of the plebe and, memorous of the contrast with Ptolemy, among the many laws he presented (the Leges Clodiae), managed to approve one on the annexation of Cyprus to the Roman Republic (lex Clodia de Rege Ptolemaeo). Clodio managed to charge the conquest of one of his main opponents, Marco Porcio Catone, who would also acquire the administration of the island after the annexation. The reason why Clodio's choice fell on Catone is debated: he probably wanted to move him away from Rome to make him less dangerous, or he wanted to entrust him with a prestigious assignment in such a way as to approach his political faction.

Conquest
In 58 BC, then, Catone went to the east to the head of the Roman fleet with the title pro quaestore pro praetore (i.e. as an official who had already assumed the charge of the Quaestor but with the honors and prerogatives of a pretor) and, before assaulting Cyprus, went to the island of Rhodes. From there he sent from Ptolemy a friend of his, Canidium (probably Publio Canidio Crasso) with a message in which he offered to the monarch, in exchange for his kingdom, to be able to remain in Cyprus as a priest in Paph; probably Catone did not intend to fight a war against a sovereign friend of the Republic and tried in this way to resolve the issue peacefully. Ptolemy, however, did not accept Catone's proposal and, knowing that he had no chance against the Romans, he decided to commit suicide. On the death of Ptolemy, Cypriots welcomed Catone peacefully, hoping to be recognized friends and popul Roman members (friends and allies of the Roman people). Catone, however, acquired the island as a Roman province, respecting the terms of his post.

Consequences
The conquest of Cyprus by the Romans was one of the two main causes that led to revolts in Alexandria, the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt, (the other was the raising of the taxes imposed by the king) and that made sure that Ptolemy XII had to flee into voluntary exile and leave the throne to his wife Cleopatra VI and daughter Berenice IV. The king abandoned the E