I find mythology to be very interesting, so this was one of my favorite places so far! Dimitri told us the legend of Aphrodites birth. The birth took place in folds of the sea in the city of Pathos. She was born in the union of the sky and the earth emerging out of the foam onto the rock pictured above. The nymphs dressed her in clothes and pearls. The pearls fell off and became the islands of Cyprus. Seeing this in person felt euphoric and unreal. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and definitely makes sense why this is the goddess of love birthplace.
Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, but was never satisfied with one husband. She married only at the wishes of her father Zeus, but was unfaithful in her marriage. Even so, she was honored and had the largest cult in Cyprus. Eventually, she fell in love with a hunter. Adonis was a mortal and died in a hunting accident. The blood from him became the first red flower in Cyprus. This flower was the poppy.
Pictured above is a mosaic of the Scylla. Scylla is a sea monster with 5 dog heads. The artist only painted 3 because you can only see a few of the heads from one side. The monster is holding what looks like a cross, but is actually a staph of a ship. This was done with different types of stones and pebbles naturally. This period focused on idealized figures and embraced the drama surrounding this time.
This artist captured Narcissus, a mortal son of the gods, looking at himself in a pool of water. This figure died drowning because he fell into the water while looking at himself. He was obsessed with his reflection and that is what this mosaic is portraying. Narcissus was a very handsome son of the gods and he knew it. This was crafted in the Roman period with stone. These mosaics were in the floors of homes or public buildings meant to be walked on and seen. They captured many figures and told stories. In another one of the mosaics, an artist needed many colors of stone for the wings of Jupiter, but could not find them. So, he creatively used glass to picture the strength of Jupiter. I thought this was very interesting and creative.
Our last stop was the city of Pathos. After seeing the mosaics, we walked around the outside of the buildings around the stone and enjoyed the beautiful view. A couple of us walked down the street by the boats to find a restaurant. Everyone was eager to seat us, but we chose a place called Steve’s. It was right on the water and the food was delicious. I got a Cyprus coffee for the first time and accidentally thought you were supposed to eat the grinds. You are not. After, we walked through the tourist part and sat by the water to soak in what Pathos had to offer. It was a lovely afternoon!