The Cult Of Aphrodite In Ancient Cyprus

The island of Cyprus is located at the northeastern tip of the Mediterranean Sea.It is an important part of the ancient Greek world.Cyprus has a close relationship with the goddess Aphrodite,according to Homer and hesiod,Aphrodite,the god of love,was born in Cyprus,so it has always been regarded as the "island of love".As the embodiment of love and beauty,as well as the goddess of fertility and navigation,Aphrodite played an extremely important role in the daily life of ancient greeks.This paper consists of three parts: introduction,text and conclusion.The text is divided into four sections and takes the cult of Aphrodite on the island of Cyprus as the entry point,studies the origin,function and cult of Aphrodite,and comparing the difference between the cults in other areas.The first section explores several theories about the origin,as follows: Aphrodite originated in Cyprus,the near east,the indo-european region and the Greek mainland.Through exploration,it was found that the cult of goddess was largely influenced by eastern religion.It is more accurate to say that it originated in the near east.The second section studied several functions of Aphrodite in Cyprus,including fertility,sea goddess,sky goddess and war goddess.Through exploration,this paper considers fertility to be her core function.The third section explores the cult of Aphrodite on the island of Cyprus.This paper selected several important places,Through the analysis of the existing literature and archaeological materials,let us know the wide spread of the cult of Aphrodite on the island of Cyprus.The fourth section explores the commonality and difference of cult between Cyprus and other parts of the Greek world from the perspective of religious cult.Due to the unique geographical location of Cyprus,the goddess appeared earlier in Cyprus than in other places,and the figure was more abundant and the cult is more mature.It can be seen from the analysis that the cult of Aphrodite in ancient Cyprus was the result of cultural blending in the Mediterranean region,which reflected the pursuit of a better life of ancient cypriots.Studying the worship of Aphrodite in ancient Cyprus can enable us to have a more comprehensive understanding of Aphrodite and the social life of the ancient Greek people.