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When
the Assyrian Empire finally broke up at the end of the 7th
century B.C., Egypt, under the Saite dynasty, became the
predominant power in the eastern Mediterranean. In about 569
B.C. the Cypriot kingdoms recognized the pharaoh Ahmose II as
their overlord. Direct Egyptian influence was not always
apparent, though many limestone sculptures reproduce Egyptian
conventions in dress and some statues are directly inspired by
Egyptian models.
A more
important influence in the last years of the Archaic period
(750-475 B.C.) came from the artistic schools of Ionia. From the
same source probably came the inspiration for the issue of
coinage; the first Cypriot coins were struck for Euelthon,
king of Salamis (560-525 B.C.)
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