The Cypriots worshipped a goddess of fertility from as early as the Chalcolithic period (3900–2500 BC).
They depicted her as a woman with the obvious characteristics of maternity and modelled figurines of her in stone or clay, of which the larger ones became objects of adoration and their smaller counterparts were worn on the body.
Others were placed in graves to protect the dead.
The myth that Venus (known as Aphrodite in Greek) was born on the coast of Cyprus may be connected to the adoration of this fertility goddess.

From the 12th century BC onwards, adoration of this goddess becomes particularly resplendent.
It appears that before the arrival of Achaeans, Palaepaphos was already a rich city with an ornate holy altar dedicated to the goddess.
Tradition holds that King Kinyras of Paphos was both very rich and a priest of Venus.
Another legend relates that Agapinoras, king of Tegea and Arcadia, came to Paphos after the Trojan War and founded both the city and the holy altar of Venus.
The Greeks, seemingly impressed by the greatness of the goddess of Paphos, built a large altar dedicated to her, parts of which still survive.

A covered temple was never built for the goddess at Palaepaphos but instead, the holy altar stood in the open air, encircled by walls and fitted with brightly coloured doors, according to Homer.
She was not worshipped as a statue, but rather in the form of conical stone.
The ancients report it as something strange, "a white pyramid of which the material is not known".
This symbolic stone existed at Paphos from ancient times and, as the adoration of standing stones is a feature of eastern religions, the nearby Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's rock) may be responsible for the creation of the myth that she was born here.

This conical stone was found near the holy altar and is now on display at the Kouklia Museum.
However, the stone is black whereas the ancients described it as white, although it may have become tarnished over the centuries.
The stone remained in the holy altar site until the arrival of the Romans who placed it in the middle of a tripartite open building.
The altar was already well known by the time of Homer as a location for burning incense.
It was claimed that so marvellous was the altar that when it rained the stone did not become wet.

There were also votive pillars bearing symbols of the horns of a bull, and columns in the form of a tree of life.
Various buildings serving the needs of the holy altar, and accommodation for the priest of the goddess and his entourage also existed on the site.
A holy garden is also likely to have existed from which the nearby village of Yeroskipou takes its name.
This was probably filled with trees and bushes dedicated to Venus, and with birds such as pigeons, which were beloved by the goddess.
Representations on ancient vessels depict people amongst bushes, flowers and birds.
Worship of the goddess was led by a priest who directed the ceremonies.
Some sources claim that the first priest was Cinyras.
His descendants continued as priests and were buried in the precincts of the holy altar.
It is also known that later kings of Paphos were simultaneously priests.
Tacitus however, relates in his Histories that the site was founded by King Aerias.

In a practice originating with eastern religions to honour Astarte, "holy marriages" may have taken place whereby a priest married a female priest to ensure the continued fertility of the earth and people.
 An idea of what the goddess looked like can be gathered from recovered archeological relics which show present a richly embellished woman.
 The adoration of Venus was particularly intense in the ancient period with religious ceremonies depicted on artifacts such as vases or bronze vessels.
Offerings to Venus are described by ancient writers as tobacco or balm from Myra in present-day Turkey.
The faithful also brought pies made with flour and oil and libations produced from honey.
Tree branches were favoured by the goddess so devotees brought myrtle flowers, windflowers  and roses, because they derived from the bloo
The Cypriots worshipped a goddess of fertility from as early as the Chalcolithic period (3900–2500 BC). They depicted her as a woman with the obvious characteristics of maternity and modelled figurines of her in stone or clay, of which the larger ones became objects of adoration and their smaller counterparts were worn on the body. Others were placed in graves to protect the dead. The myth that Venus (known as Aphrodite in Greek) was born on the coast of Cyprus may be connected to the adoration of this fertility goddess.
From the 12th century BC onwards, adoration of this goddess becomes particularly resplendent. It appears that before the arrival of Achaeans, Palaepaphos was already a rich city with an ornate holy altar dedicated to the goddess. Tradition holds that King Kinyras of Paphos was both very rich and a priest of Venus. Another legend relates that Agapinoras, king of Tegea and Arcadia, came to Paphos after the Trojan War and founded both the city and the holy altar of Venus. The Greeks, seemingly impressed by the greatness of the goddess of Paphos, built a large altar dedicated to her, parts of which still survive.
A covered temple was never built for the goddess at Palaepaphos but instead, the holy altar stood in the open air, encircled by walls and fitted with brightly coloured doors, according to Homer. She was not worshipped as a statue, but rather in the form of conical stone. The ancients report it as something strange, "a white pyramid of which the material is not known". This symbolic stone existed at Paphos from ancient times and, as the adoration of standing stones is a feature of eastern religions, the nearby Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's rock) may be responsible for the creation of the myth that she was born here.
This conical stone was found near the holy altar and is now on display at the Kouklia Museum. However, the stone is black whereas the ancients described it as white, although it may have become tarnished over the centuries. The stone remained in the holy altar site until the arrival of the Romans who placed it in the middle of a tripartite open building. The altar was already well known by the time of Homer as a location for burning incense. It was claimed that so marvellous was the altar that when it rained the stone did not become wet.
There were also votive pillars bearing symbols of the horns of a bull, and columns in the form of a tree of life. Various buildings serving the needs of the holy altar, and accommodation for the priest of the goddess and his entourage also existed on the site. A holy garden is also likely to have existed from which the nearby village of Yeroskipou takes its name. This was probably filled with trees and bushes dedicated to Venus, and with birds such as pigeons, which were beloved by the goddess. Representations on ancient vessels depict people amongst bushes, flowers and birds. Worship of the goddess was led by a priest who directed the ceremonies. Some sources claim that the first priest was Cinyras. His descendants continued as priests and were buried in the precincts of the holy altar. It is also known that later kings of Paphos were simultaneously priests. Tacitus however, relates in his Histories that the site was founded by King Aerias.
In a practice originating with eastern religions to honour Astarte, "holy marriages" may have taken place whereby a priest married a female priest to ensure the continued fertility of the earth and people.  An idea of what the goddess looked like can be gathered from recovered archeological relics which show present a richly embellished woman.  The adoration of Venus was particularly intense in the ancient period with religious ceremonies depicted on artifacts such as vases or bronze vessels. Offerings to Venus are described by ancient writers as tobacco or balm from Myra in present-day Turkey. The faithful also brought pies made with flour and oil and libations produced from honey. Tree branches were favoured by the goddess so devotees brought myrtle flowers, windflowers  and roses, because they derived from the bloo
Kouklia