In the second or third century a gold ring bearing the likeness of the Roman goddess Venus was lost on a road in what is now Brittany, France. Researchers excavated an 11-acre site ahead of planned development in the French commune of Pacé and found the relic.
Roman generals were known to call on Venus Victrix before battle. The ring dates to Brittany’s occupation by the Romans, which began with Julius Caesar’s conquest of the region in 56 B.C.E.
In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. She was the Roman counterpart to the Greek Aphrodite. The Roman Venus had many abilities beyond the Greek Aphrodite; she was the goddess of victory and even prostitution.
According to Hesiod, Aphrodite was born of the foam from the sea after Saturn castrated his father Uranus and threw his genitals into the sea. Her beauty became a source of tension among the gods, all of whom desired her.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus
To calm matters, Zeus decided that Aphrodite would marry Hephaestus, the crippled smith god. Hephaestus fashioned a magic girdle to ensure her fidelity. However, she proved unfaithful and had multiple affairs with both mortals and gods. Some of her offspring were the Cupids (Erotes) who were a collection of winged love deities who represented the different aspects of love. Images of Venus can be found in countless forms. Venus, due to her beauty and sexual nature, was often depicted nude. Venus continued to be a popular subject matter for artists into modern times.
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