Aphrodite Areia

The epithet "Areia", meaning "warlike", was applied to other gods in addition to Aphrodite, such as Athena, Zeus, and possibly Hermes.

[2] It is possible, however, that this representation was deliberate to assert the Ionian interpretation of Aphrodite, which did not portray the goddess with warlike aspects, as the "correct" version.

[3] It is believed that the warlike depiction of Aphrodite belongs to her very earliest acolytes and cults in Cyprus and Cythera, where there was a strong eastern influence during the Orientalizing Period.

[3] This depiction can trace Aphrodite's descent from older Middle Eastern goddesses such as the Sumerian Inanna, Mesopotamian Ishtar, and Phoenician Astarte.

[1] Pausanias recorded that three cult statues at Kythira, Sparta, and Corinth depicted Aphrodite as holding weapons and archaeological evidence points to this portrayal also occurring in Argos.