Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, love, and desire, was a relative latecomer to the Greek pantheon and widely considered by the ancient Greeks to be of Eastern origin. Homer referred to her as “the lady of Kypros” (Cyprus), whose sacred precinct and smoky altar were located at Paphos in Cyprus. Hesiod describes her birth from the mutilated genitals of Ouranos (Heaven) that were cast into the sea, creating white foam from which Aphrodite appeared before making landfall on the southwest coast of Cyprus.

Scholar Jennifer Webb gives an illustrated presentation on the nature and origin of this alluring and alarming goddess. Webb discusses her eastern origin, her assimilation with an older goddess in Cyprus, and her arrival and reception in Greece. She then examines the evidence for the worship of Aphrodite in Cyprus, describes the majestic temple dedicated to her at Palaepaphos, and discusses the depiction of Aphrodite in ancient art and poetry.

Webb is a research fellow in archaeology at La Trobe University in Australia.