Juno was a leading deity in the Roman pantheon who, much like her Greek counterpart Hera (Ἥρα), was the principal goddess of the State, the patron of Rome and the Roman Empire. Together with Jupiter and Minerva, she was part of the Capitoline Triad, which integrated the Etruscan trinity formed by Tini, Uni and Menura, into the Roman religion. Minerva was a major component of the Roman pantheon, being one of the three deities in the Capitoline Triad. Her cult evolved from the Etruscan deity Menvra, who was gradually Hellenised during the 3rd-4th century BC and adopted within the Ancient Greek religion as Athena. The Roman Minerva appropriated the Greek iconography, and is often depicted with a small shield and wearing a soldier’s helmet. Venus, like her Greek counterpart Aphrodite, was the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation. Known as one of the most beautiful goddesses, she was unwillingly married to Vulcan, a god of lesser beauty. Imagery of the goddess first appeared in 200 BC with temples constructed in her honour.
The depiction of these three goddesses together may be an allusion to the Judgement of Paris, a myth from the Trojan Cycle. The goddess of discord, Eris, was not invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, the parents of Achilles. In revenge, she threw into the wedding a golden apple, inscribed with ‘To the fairest one.’ It was decided, after some dispute amongst the goddesses themselves, that the Trojan prince, Paris, should decide to whom the apple should go. Each goddess offered to the prince a bribe in accordance with their attributes: Juno offered the kingship of Europe and Asia; Minerva wisdom and skill in battle, and Venus the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, who was then married to Menelaus. Paris awarded the apple to Venus, who granted him Helen, thus sparking the Trojan War.
To discover more about the ancient origins of oil lamps, visit our relevant post: Oil Lamps in Antiquity.
