the Apostles in their preaching of the Gospel. Paul rebuked him, announcing that he would temporarily become blind due to God's judgment. Paul's prediction immediately came true. As a result of this, Sergius Paulus became a believer, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. In this way, Cyprus became the first country in the world to be governed by a Christian ruler. Paul is credited with underpinning claims for ecclesiastical independence from Antioch. At least three Cypriot bishops (the sees of Salamis, Tremithus, and Paphos) took part in the First Council of Nicaea in 325, and twelve Cypriot bishops were present at the Council of Sardica in 344. Early Cypriot Saints include: St. Heracleidius, St. Spiridon, St. Hilarion and St. Epiphanius. Several earthquakes led to the destruction of Salamis at the beginning of the 4th century, at the same time drought and famine hit the island. In 431 AD, the Church of Cyprus achieved its independence from the Patriarch of Antioch at the First Council of Ephesus. Emperor Zeno granted the archbishop of Cyprus the right to carry a sceptre instead of a pastoral staff. See also List of earthquakes in Cyprus Pottery of ancient Cyprus Ancient Cypriot art Notes Further reading Cobham, C D, 1908. Excerpta Cypria, materials for a history of Cyprus. Cambridge. Includes the Classical Sources. Hunt, D, 1990. Footprints in Cyprus. London, Trigraph. Leidwanger, J, 2007, Two Late Roman Wrecks from Southern Cyprus. IJNA 36: pp 308–16. Leonard, J. and Demesticha, S, 2004. Fundamental Links in the Economic Chain: Local Ports and International trade in Roman and Early Christian Cyprus. In: Transport Amphorae and Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, Acts of the International Colloquium at the Danish Institute at Athens, September 26–9, 2002, edited by J. Eiring and J. Lund, Aarhus, Aarhus University Press: pp 189–202. Papacostas, T, 2001, The Economy of Late Antique Cyprus. In: Economy and Exchange in the East Mediterranean during Late Antiquity. Proceedings of a conference at Somerville College, Oxford, 29 May 1999, edited by S. Kingsley and M. Decker, Oxford, Oxbow Books: pp 107–28. Şevketoğlu, M. 2015, ”Akanthou- Arkosykos, a ninth Millenium BC coastal settlement in Cyprus” in Environmental Archaeology, Association for Environmental Archaeology Tatton-Brown, Veronica, 1979. Cyprus BC, 7000 years of history. London, British Museum Publications. Tyree, E L, 1996. Winbladh, M.-L., Cypriote Antiquities in the Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm 1977. Winbladh, M-L., 'Adventuring with Cyprus. A Chronicle of the Swedish