Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess

This year, the Ashmolean Museum presents Aphrodite: The Making of a Goddess, a major exhibition tracing the remarkable story of one of the world's most enduring cultural icons. Beginning with the goddess's origins in Bronze Age Cyprus, the exhibition follows her transformation through the Greek and Roman worlds before exploring how artists from the Renaissance to the present day have continually reinvented her image. Featuring more than 200 objects spanning over three millennia, it reveals how Aphrodite became far more than simply the goddess of love and beauty.

This day school provides an ideal introduction to the exhibition while exploring the wider historical, artistic and religious world in which Aphrodite emerged. Led by Dr Sarah James and Dr Michael Paraskos, the course examines how a local Cypriot deity became one of the most recognisable figures in world culture, influencing art, literature, religion and ideas about beauty for over three thousand years.

Through richly illustrated lectures, we will explore the archaeological evidence for Aphrodite's earliest worship in Cyprus before following her adoption into Greek mythology and her later transformation into the Roman Venus. Along the way we will examine the myths surrounding her birth, her relationship with gods and mortals, and the changing ways artists represented her from the ancient world to the Renaissance and beyond.

The course will also consider why Aphrodite has remained so compelling. We will look at famous masterpieces by artists including Praxiteles, Botticelli, Titian and Canova, alongside more recent interpretations that continue to challenge and redefine ideas of femininity, desire, beauty and power. Rather than seeing Aphrodite as a fixed figure from classical mythology, we will discover how each generation has recreated the goddess to reflect its own values and concerns.

Throughout the day the emphasis will be on looking closely at works of art while understanding the religious, political and cultural contexts in which they were created. By the end of the course you will have a deeper appreciation of how one ancient goddess has continued to shape Western art and imagination for more than three millennia.

The course is ideal for anyone planning to visit the Ashmolean exhibition, as well as those with an interest in Greek mythology, ancient Cyprus, classical civilisation, archaeology or the history of art.

No previous knowledge is required. Everyone is warmly welcome.

For course content enquiries: Contact the Programme Manager, Dr Michael Paraskos, at m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk

For enrolment and booking enquiries: Contact Christian Jacobi at c.jacobi@imperial.ac.uk

Class recordings

These classes are not recorded.

Imperial certificates

This course has no exams or assessments, so you can focus on enjoying your learning. Regular attendance may also lead to the award of an Imperial attendance certificate. (T&Cs apply).