On the upper terraces of the coastal acropolis, a series of large compounds of palatial character, apparently planned and controlled by the local Late Mycenaean elite, have been revealed by the excavations of the University of Ioannina. In these are included: the Central Building (Gamma), occupying, on present estimates, an area of 750 m2 and incorporating a maze of rooms and corridors, a twin megaron and a small shrine, and the Eastern Complex, with a main access through an unusual fortified gate, probably serving a variety of functions in the public sector. Between the two complexes extends Building Delta comprising storage and other areas. On the basis of the location, size and function of the acropolis, in conjunction with the evidence for its external relations and maritime contacts, this major Mycenaean settlement-site at Kanakia can be identified with the “ancient city”, i.e. the older capital of the island, mentioned by the geographer Strabo (IX.1.9.) and also in an inscription of the late 1st century B.C. from the Acropolis of Athens. It is the plausible seat of the naval kingdom of Salamis, well-known from epic tradition, and flourishing under the legendary Aiacid dynasty and Ajax, son of Telamon, and also the metropolis of the city of Salamis in Cyprus, whose legendary founder was Teucer, half-brother of Ajax.