The text discusses how various ancient cultures represented their deities. Mars had statues in different locations in Rome, Venus was depicted with varying attributes across regions, and Cupid in Egypt was shown with wings. Additionally, in Thessaly, Jupiter was illustrated with three eyes, and the text references Virgil's description of an altar in Priam's palace.
ON THE HUMAN FIGURE. 41
How the Ancients Represented Their Deities.
The god Mars was honored by the Romans under the two names Gradivus and Quirinus: under the first, he had his statue in the Field of Mars, outside the city; under the second name, his statue was placed in the center of the Forum, inside the city.
Venus was represented, among the Lacedaemonians, with weapons in hand. In Arcadia, she was depicted as black. In Cyprus, she was portrayed with a beard, a masculine scepter, and women's clothing.
In Egypt, Cupid was shown with wings, behind the statue of Fortune, who held a cornucopia in front of her.
In Thessaly, Jupiter was depicted with three eyes. It is said that Laomedon, and later King Priam, placed this statue of Jupiter in a courtyard at the center of their palace: this is what Virgil teaches us through this description:
In the midst of the buildings, under the bare sky,
There was a great altar, and nearby, an ancient laurel
Leaning over the altar and shading the household gods.
Virgil. Aeneid. Book II.
In the middle of Priam's palace, without any cover other than the sky itself, there was a great altar, near which stood a very ancient laurel, leaning against the altar, shading the guardian gods of this palace.