This episode offers a critical, historically grounded examination of Aphrodite as a trans-cultural religious phenomenon rather than a stable mythological figure. It traces the goddess’s development from Near Eastern traditions associated with Astarte, Ishtar, and Inanna through her incorporation into Greek religion, where tensions between her martial, erotic, civic, and cosmic dimensions produced multiple and often contradictory forms of worship. The discussion then follows her Roman reconfiguration as Venus, focusing on the political and ideological implications of her role as divine ancestress and guarantor of imperial order.

Combining literary sources, archaeological evidence, cult practice, and ritual calendars, the lecture analyses how Aphrodite functioned within ancient economies of desire, gender, power, and civic cohesion, as well as how regional cults negotiated her ambivalent capacity to generate both harmony and destruction. The final section examines modern resurrections of Aphrodite in Neopaganism, feminist spirituality, Hellenic reconstructionism, and Western esotericism, assessing how contemporary movements selectively reinterpret ancient materials.

CONNECT & SUPPORT💖

MY COURSES 👩🏻‍🎓 https://drangelapuca.com/courses

WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER 💌 https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter

BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE 📖https://drangelapuca.com/services

BECOME MY PATRON! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/angelapuca

SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ☕️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca

ONE-OFF DONATIONS 💰 https://paypal.me/angelasymposium

JOIN MEMBERSHIPS 👥 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPSbip_LX2AxbGeAQfLp-Ig/join

MY PODCAST 🎙 https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTGe6OKRokHN2zUIxM?si=dd9f50a734b14f86

MY MERCH 👕 https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/

FOLLOW ME👣

- YouTube (@drangelapuca)🌟

- Instagram (@drangelapuca) 📸

- TikTok (@drangelapuca) 🎵

- Twitter (@angelapuca11) 🐦

- Facebook (Dr Angela Puca) 👥

Aphrodite & Venus： Love, Desire & War in Ancient and Modern Religion

ANGELA'S SYMPOSIUM 📖 Academic Study on Witchcraft, Paganism, esotericism, magick and the Occult