Cyprus is part of the Hittite empire during the late Bronze Age until the arrival of two waves of Greek settlement.

The first wave consists of Mycenaean Greek traders who start visiting Cyprus around 1400 BCE.

A major wave of Greek settlement is believed to have taken place following the Bronze Age collapse of Mycenaean Greece in the period 1100–1050 BCE, with the island's predominantly Greek character dating from this period.

Cyprus occupies an important role in Greek mythology being the birthplace of Aphrodite and Adonis, and home to King Cinyras, Teucer and Pygmalion.