Aphrodite

Many thanks to Peter Vanges and the Kytherian Association of Australia for their kind permission to reproduce this excerpt from Kythera, a History (1993), a hard cover book which is still available from the Association. For the contact information, please see the Associations section under "Culture".

The introduction by the Phoenicians of the worship of Astarte (Aphrodite) to the island is of great importance. The historian Herodotus says that the cult of Aphrodite was brought from Palestine. It was not only that the worship of a new deity gave life and added to the life of the island, but there was also the fact that the statue brought to Kythera was the oldest and most revered one in all the world. It goes without saying that such a treasure had to be housed in a temple befitting its significance. Thus a splendid temple in honour of Aphrodite was built at Paliopoli. Today, nothing remains of this majestic temple.