Coin of the Greek goddess Aphrodite
Coin of the Greek goddess Aphrodite
East of the Crimean Peninsula and between the Black and Azov Seas the grave is one of a number of remarkable discoveries unearthed this summer near the coast of the Taman Peninsula in southern Russia The Oleg Deripaska Volnoe Delo Foundation says archaeologists Nikolay Sudarev and Mikhail Treister discovered the woman's grave during the summer 2022 archaeological expedition in Phanagoria The discovery according to archaeologists may have been a priestess of Aphrodite goddess of beauty and love Ring silver earrings
The social structure of Phanagoria in the early 1st century BC is linked to both Greek culture and those of other cultures such as the Sassanid Empire. Archaeologists have unearthed a silver coin depicting the Greek goddess Aphrodite in a 2,100-year-old priest's tomb offering insights into religious practices at the time of its creation On the northeastern coast of the Black Sea researchers believe this indicates the coin depicts Aphrodite Urania the goddess of heaven The unique coin depicts 10 zodiac signs instead of 12 It measures approximately 7 centimeters 2.75 inches in diameter and 15 millimeters 15 millimeters thick suggesting the astrological beliefs of the time
The large ancient Greek silver medallion discovered in Russia shows the Greek goddess Aphrodite in the center,
; surrounded by symbols portraying ten signs of the zodiac. Credit: arkeonews.net
Based on other contemporary iconography such coins were common in the territory of the Bosporan kingdom 2,300 years ago Unlike other tombs the warrior's grave depicts the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the warrior's grave in Phanagoria an ancient city on the Taman Peninsula The coins were discovered in the grave of a young woman believed to have been a priestess of Aphrodite In Russia archaeologists discovered a 2,100-year-old Aphrodite coin and a warrior's grave The Aphrodite coin is surrounded by 10 relief symbols corresponding to the zodiac signs a lion for Leo and a scorpion for Scorpio However the symbols of Aquarius and Libra are missing and researchers are still unsure why
