Teucer

Illegitimate son of Telamon of Salamis by the captive Trojan princess Hesione (Apollod. *Bib.* 3.12.7), half-brother of Ajax the Great. The best archer on the Greek side at Troy (Hom. *Il.* 8.266–334, where he fights from behind Ajax's great shield). After Ajax's suicide over the lost arms of Achilles, Teucer arranged the burial against Agamemnon's objections (Soph. *Aj.* 1168–1401). Banished by his father Telamon for not bringing Ajax home, he sailed for Cyprus, founded a second Salamis on the south coast (modern Famagusta), married the Cypriot king's daughter Eune, and ruled the line that controlled the city through the archaic and classical periods (Eur. *Helen* 87–163; Paus. 1.3.2 + 8.15.7; Hor. *Odes* 1.7.21–32). The foundation is one of the earliest Greek presences in the Levant the mythic tradition records.

Associated Places