Venus

Venus Europe
An Italian goddess, particularly worshipped in Rome, where Julius Caesar claimed to be her descendant through his ancestor Aeneas. In gratitude for his military successes in the Civil War he dedicated a temple to Venus Genetrix in 46 BC and lavished on it rich spoils. Her earliest functions remain obscure, except for an association with gardens. Identified with Aphrodite by the third century BC, Venus was soon regarded by the Romans as the virtual counterpart of the love goddess.