Sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll in the ancient world? You bet! The god in charge of (almost) all of them was Eros or Cupid, the love child of Venus, the goddess of lust and sexuality.
With his cherubic face and his teenage sense of humor, Cupid was a god who spent most of his time doing the bidding of his mother, Venus. In fulfilling her lusty missions, his weapons of choice were the bow and arrow, and, to his credit, the teen god shot his darts with uncanny accuracy. In fact, ancient Romans feared being the target of Cupid’s arrows - and for good reason. His quiver was filled with both gold- and lead-tipped projectiles and both types of arrows left their victims utterly unable to control their emotions.
Wounded by the immortal marksman’s golden-tipped arrows, one fell into a life of blissful romance and true love. But that almost never happened. More commonly, Cupid fired off blunt, leaden projectiles. Those struck by the dreaded lead darts were destined to chase wildly after the very person who would be utterly repulsed by their affections.
Want to know more about erotic love in the ancient world? Get thee to the Colosseum. Until the middle of September an exhibit titled Eros showcases Cupid and his mother Aphrodite or Venus. On display are painted vases, sculptures, and frescoes that illustrate ancient amor in all its glory.
