Aphrodisia
It took place in several Ancient Greek towns, but was especially important in Attica and on the island of Cyprus, where Aphrodite was venerated with a magnificent celebration.Pausanias wittily reports, "The meaning of the tortoise and of the he-goat I leave to those who care to guess,"[6] slyly implying the sensual nature of Aphrodite's representation.Aphrodite Pandemos translates to "common to all the people," and her realm of influence extends beyond sensual pleasures to civic and interpersonal harmony.Her worship in Athens in is attributed to Theseus, who was considered the founder of a shrine to Aphrodite and Peitho in Agora, which he established to thank the goddesses for their assistance with uniting the scattered tribes of Attica into one political and social body of Athenians in what was known as the synoikismos ("dwelling together").Some scholars speculate that the festival took place on the fourth day of Hekatombaion (mid July-mid August), near the beginning of the Attic new year.