The Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia proceeded with the installation of the sculpture "Naval Battle of Lefkolla". The sculpture by Philippos Giapanis, which was created in 2019, was placed in the fountain in the homonymous "Lefkolla" square in the center of Protaras, after the renovation and reconstruction of the fountain.
The famous naval battle of Lefkolla
In the conflicts that followed the death of Alexander the Great among his generals, Ptolemy of Egypt captured Cyprus, where he installed his brother Menelaus as governor. In 306 BC, Antigonus the "One-Eyed" or "Cyclops" sent against Ptolemy and his brother Menelaus in Cyprus, his son Demetrius, the most prominent of the Epigoni, as the sons of the Diadochi were called.
Demetrius defeated Menelaus decisively both on land and at sea and besieged Salamis, and as a result, he was given the epithet Poliorketes.
During the siege of Salamis, Demetrius was informed that a large naval force under Ptolemy himself was sailing against him and was already sailing off the coast of Kition. After leaving a few ships to supervise the siege, he sailed and hid his ships in the small harbor of Leucolla. As soon as Ptolemy sailed past Cape Pedalio (Cape Greco), Demetrius' fleet suddenly attacked him and crushed the large Egyptian force. Ptolemy's ships, along with those of Menelaus that had rushed from Salamis to their aid, were sunk or scattered.
After the naval battle of Lefkolla, Demetrius the Besieger became master of all of Cyprus.
In commemoration of his great victory, Demetrius ordered the sculptor Eutychides to carve from Parian marble the goddess Nike on the prow of a ship. The sculpture was found by a French archaeological mission in 1863 in Samothrace, in the sanctuary of the Cabeiras, who were deities who protected sailors and gave strength to those who fought.
The Victory of Samothrace, together with the Aphrodite of Milos, are the most brilliant ancient Greek exhibits of the Louvre Museum.
