Dove
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The dove was a highly symbolic and revered animal in ancient Greek culture, associated with several important themes such as love, fertility, and peace. Its gentle and graceful nature, along with its association with flight, made it a fitting symbol for a variety of divine and earthly attributes. Doves were not only central to religious and mythological narratives but also appeared in the art and coinage of ancient Greece, where they conveyed messages of divine favor and harmonious existence.
One of the most significant associations of the dove in Greek mythology is with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. According to myth, Aphrodite was often accompanied by doves, and in some versions of her birth story, she is said to have emerged from the sea foam, borne to shore by doves. This connection with Aphrodite reinforced the dove’s symbolism of romantic love and sensual beauty. The bird’s gentle flight and tender nature were viewed as manifestations of the qualities that Aphrodite represented, making the dove a symbol of affectionate devotion and the nurturing aspects of love. The dove’s role in Aphrodite’s retinue also linked it to themes of sexuality and procreation, aligning the bird with the divine forces of fertility.
The dove also symbolized peace in ancient Greek thought. In a world often torn by warfare, the image of the dove represented an ideal of harmony and the cessation of conflict. This peaceful symbolism is evident in various artistic depictions where doves were shown as carrying olive branches, an ancient symbol of peace and reconciliation. The combination of the dove and the olive branch conveyed a message of peaceful resolution, with the dove acting as a messenger bringing tranquility to the warring human world. The image of a dove with an olive branch is also found on various Athenian coins, where it not only reflected the city’s political values but also its aspiration to project peace and prosperity throughout the Greek world.
In addition to these symbolic associations with love and peace, the dove had a connection to the goddess Demeter, who was linked to the fertility of the earth and agricultural abundance. The dove was thought to be a symbol of the earth’s nurturing capacity, representing the fertility of nature and the growth of crops, themes that were central to Demeter’s worship. This broader connection to fertility and abundance expanded the dove’s symbolic meaning beyond just love and peace, imbuing it with connotations of renewal and life-giving forces.
 Echetimos of Paphos early 4th century BCE Æ 3.79g, 15mm, 5h Head of Aphrodite to left wearing stephane / Dove standing to right; Cypriot letter ‘e’ above; all within concave circle BMC 48 (uncertain king); Tziambazis 89 (Timocharis); Destrooper-Georgiades, A. “Le monnayage de Paphos au IVe siècle, nouvelles perspectives” in XIII Congreso. (Madrid, 2005), p. 246, fig. 14; Destrooper-Georgiades, A. ‘Paphos sur les monnaies depuis le IVème siècle av. J.-C.’ Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization 17 (2013), pl. 2, 18 |
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