Pompeii

Pompeii

Lawrence Technological University

February 8, 2016

Mars and Venus

McCardell, Chris (photograph)

visual works (works)

2006

Italy (nation)

Pompeii (deserted settlement)

Pompeian wall painting styles

frescoes (paintings)

Mars (Roman deity)

Venus deities

View of fresco from the House of the Citharist, showing Venus and Mars, fresco is in the third style. "In mythology, the husband of Venus is Mars, who in turn became a more important god in Rome than his equivalent in Greece, Ares. It should also be mentioned that in ancient Rome the importance of Venus for the state was greater than Aphrodite’s in Greece. From Gaius Julius Caesar onwards, the emperors tried to trace their origin back to the goddess Venus. The mother of Aeneas, the mythical founder of the Roman Empire, was Venus, who helped and encouraged her son on the journey to Italy and in his mission to establish an empire. The popularity of Mars and Venus in frescoes confirms the view that Pompeii followed the dominant cultural values in Rome. Pompeii thus emphasised the allegorical meaning of this divine couple, oriented to contemporary social values,"--Myths of Pompeii: reality and legacy, by Anne Lill.

jpeg

©2013 Lawrence Technological University. These images may be used for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes without the explicit permission of LTU.

cvmita011