Roman Pendant, Hand of Venus, Silver

Roman Pendant, Hand of Venus

The original find, which was made available to us for processing, comes from the Upper Germanic Limes and was most likely the upper part of a Roman hairpin. The beautiful and unusual pendant is handcrafted from solid 925 silver. It comes ready to wear in a jewellery case with leather cord and certificate. Length 33 mm.

The apple of Venus

Paris, Helen and the Trojan War

Artefacts in the shape of hands were used in the cults of Jupiter Dolichenus and Sabazios. However, it is more likely that this is rather a representation of a hand with an apple or a pomegranate. Some Venus figures from Roman times carry the apple in their hands as a sign of their beauty. The ancient Greek legend of the "Judgement of Paris" tells of a contest between the goddesses Juno, Minerva and Venus (in Greece Hera, Athena and Aphrodite) as to which of them was the most beautiful. The goddess of discord, Eris, had thrown a golden apple between them, which was meant for the most beautiful.

They went to Jupiter (Zeus) and asked him to pronounce judgement, but the supreme god of Olympus knew that he could only lose in a decision. So he commissioned Paris, a mortal from Phrygia (Asia Minor), to pass judgement. Juno promised him power and greatness, Minerva tried to bribe him with wisdom and fame, and Venus, the goddess of love, promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in Greece. Paris gave the apple to the goddess of love and thus laid the foundation for the Trojan War. Helen was married to the Greek king Menelaus of Sparta, who, after the lovers fled to the city in Asia Minor, mobilised a large army and, according to legend, finally destroyed Troy.

The Trojan prince Aeneas escapes the fall of his city and finds a new home in present-day Italy, where he was revered as the forefather of the later Roman city foundation.

The pomegranate in antiquity

With its numerous sweet seeds, the pomegranate was already cultivated thousands of years ago in the Near East and was regarded as a symbol of fertility and immortality. According to legend, Aphrodite/Venus brought the pomegranate to the island of Cyprus as the tree of life.

Not only the sweet flesh of the fruit was used in antiquity, but also the wood, peel and bark were believed to have healing powers. A decoction made from it was supposed to help against the widespread infestation of worms and other parasites, for example.

The dye from the peel of the pomegranate was processed into a blue ink by adding chemicals such as iron mordant.