Z10.1 BIRTH OF APHRODITE

Museum Collection: Gaziantep Museum, Gaziantep, Turkey
Catalogue Number: TBA
Type: Mosaic
Context: Zeugma
Date: C1st - C2nd AD
Period: Imperial Roman

SUMMARY

Aphrodite sails across the main following her sea birth in a cockle shell drawn by two Ikhthyokentauroi (fish-tailed centaurs). A pair of baby love-gods, Eros and Himeros, sommersault above her head. The Ikhthyokentauroi are depicted with the upper bodies of men, the lower forequarters of horses, and the tails of fish. They are crowned with a set of crab-claw horns. The two are labelled Aphros (Sea Foam) and Bythos (Sea Depths) in Greek.

ARTICLESAphrodite, Ikhthyokentauroi, Eros, Himeros