Kouklia (Greek: Turkish: Kukla) is a village in the Paphos District, about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the city of Paphos on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The village is built in the area of “Palaepaphos” (Old Paphos), mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love and beauty. The foundation myth is interwoven with Aphrodite at every level, such that Old Paphos became the centre for her worship in the ancient World. From around 1200 BC, Palaepaphos was a major religious center that over time drew not only from all over Cyprus, but also from other Mediterranean countries. The residents of Palaepaphos, particularly in Kouklia, worshipped a goddess of fertility who protected life from as early as the Chalcolithic period (39002500 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 around the neck as amulets. Others were placed in graves to protect the dead. From this, it appears that adoration of a goddess of fertility began in the region of Paphos. In addition, 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.
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