Venus, the ancient Italian deity, embodies the essence of cultivated landscapes and gardens. Over time, she became synonymous with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. Consider the renowned Venus de Milo, a marble rendition of Aphrodite from Melos, crafted around 150 BCE, currently located in the Louvre in Paris.
Initially, Venus garnered no significant veneration in early Rome. Scholar Marcus Terentius Varro (116–27 BCE) noted the absence of her name in ancient records, supporting the lack of any designated festivals in the primitive Roman calendar and her absence of a flamen, or special priest. However, her worship was deeply rooted among the Latins, evident through the existence of at least two ancient temples dedicated to her, one in Lavinium and another in Ardea, where regional celebrations occurred. The transition of her worship to Rome likely originated from Ardea.
The identification of Venus with the revered Aphrodite happened rather early, likely influenced by the date of August 19, marking the establishment of one of her temples. This date coincides with the Vinalia Rustica, a festival devoted to Jupiter, fostering a relationship between him and Venus that drew comparisons with the Greek deities Zeus and Aphrodite. Thus, Venus was also regarded as a daughter of Dione, with ties to Vulcan as her husband and Cupid as her son. Throughout myths and tales, she is celebrated for her love affairs that traversed both divine and mortal realms, embodying various facets of femininity—both admirable and questionable. As Venus Verticordia, she played a pivotal role in safeguarding chastity among women and girls.
A significant factor contributing to Venus’s identification with Aphrodite was the integration of the famous cult of Venus Erycina, or Aphrodite of Eryx (Erice) from Sicily. This cult emerged as a fusion of an Eastern mother-goddess with the Greek goddess. Its establishment in Rome, during and shortly after the Second Punic War, saw the dedication of a temple to Venus Erycina on the Capitol in 215 BCE, followed by another construction outside the Colline gate in 181 BCE. This latter temple took on characteristics reminiscent of its Eryx counterpart, becoming a place frequented by Roman courtesans. Consequently, April 23 was dubbed “dies meretricum” or “prostitutes’ day,” marking the date of this temple’s founding.
The prominence of worship surrounding Venus-Aphrodite heightened with the political motivations of the gens Iulia, the lineage of Julius Caesar and later Augustus. Claiming descent from Iulus, the son of Aeneas—who was credited with founding the temple of Eryx and, in some accounts, also Rome—they linked themselves to the divine through Aphrodite. This celestial connection bolstered the standing of the Iulii. Other figures, including Gnaeus Pompeius, sought to associate with this increasingly significant deity by dedicating a temple to Venus Victrix (“Bringer of Victory”) in 55 BCE. Meanwhile, Julius Caesar’s temple dedicated in 46 BCE honored Venus Genetrix (“Begetting Mother”), a title that prevailed until the demise of Nero in 68 CE. Even after the fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Venus remained an important figure among emperors, with Hadrian completing a temple for her in Rome in 135 CE.
One of the renowned representations of Venus is Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” showcasing the goddess, more popularly known as Aphrodite. This masterpiece ranks as one of the world’s most iconic paintings. Although Venus originated as an Italian goddess without individual myths, she assimilated those belonging to Aphrodite, leading to her association with several foreign deities. This evolution was instrumental in naming the planet Venus, initially linked to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, and later to Aphrodite. Venus’s enduring associations with love and beauty have made her a favored muse in the art world, reflected in celebrated works such as the Venus de Milo and Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.”
