This brief inscription sheds some light on the local history of Cyprus. Nikokles, who made the dedication, is not known from any other source. He was the son of Pnytagoras, the king of Salamis (351-331 B.C.); and therefore his brother was Nikokreon, the last native king of Salamis (331-?311 B.C.). The king of Paphos who was ruling at this time also had the name Nikokles, but he was the son of Timarchos.
The inscription was found close to a 16th-century church; and excavations in the vicinity have revealed Christian buildings dating back to Byzantine times. It seems that the stele bearing the inscription was removed from its original location to be used for some purpose in these buildings. The name Aphrodite was deliberately erased from the first line of the inscription, probably by the Christians who moved it to its new location.
The inscription was published with a full commentary by P. Christofi et M. Kantirea, "Anax Nicocles of Salamis in a new inscription" ( OpenEdition ).
To [Aphrodite] Akraia, dedicated by anax Nikokles, the son of king Pnytagoras.
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