Aphrodite Anadyomene (Cyrene type)

According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty (known to the Romans as Venus), was born from the sea. The dolphin figure beside her represents the sea. Aphrodite is connected with Cyrene, a city in North Africa, through a similar statue that was found there in 1913. That statue was the first “Cyrene type” statue to be discovered, so scholars have given this name to similar statues that were discovered later.

On human-figure statues, arms are delicate features that break easily. Archaeologists and historians believe that both of Aphrodite’s missing arms were bent at the elbow. Her right hand was likely holding a strand of hair that fell to her breast; a trace of the strand of hair can be seen on this statue. Her left hand likely held a lock of hair that fell just behind her left ear. Fixing her hair (or squeezing the water out of it) is an appropriate gesture for the goddess as she rises from the sea. Many examples of this type of Aphrodite statue, known by the Greek term Anadyomene, still exist.

In addition to the myth of Aphrodite’s birth from the sea, there are other versions of her origin story. The Greek author and poet Homer attributes her birth to her parents, Zeus and Dione. Aphrodite’s origin is most often associated with the island of Cyprus, located south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon.

tags: proportion, balance, mythology, Ancient Rome, identity, change, communication, meaning