Playing Goddess: A Study of Roman Women Associated with the Goddess Venus

Abstract

Thesis (B.A. in History, Minor in Classical Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2025.Throughout the years of the empire, and a few before its establishment, Roman women were associated with the goddess Venus in ways that seem to contradict the expectations placed on them by society. This thesis explores the seemingly odd ways that women in the Roman empire were portrayed in the guise of or associated with the goddess Venus across different mediums. Previous scholarship considers the depictions separately but does not consider them together as a narrative being told largely in the city of Rome. This inquiry aims to fill this gap by exploring the connections between the different depictions and the way that ancient Romans may have considered these seemingly odd depictions as a normal occurrence. It does this by considering a variety of different case studies in literature, numismatics and statuary. This research aims to show that these depictions of women as Venus not only make sense within a larger narrative but that, upon further inspection, they were not odd for the Romans