This fragment belonged to a statuette of Aphrodite which originally had the right hand raised above the shoulder drawing up the himation, and the left one holding an apple (the prize awarded in the Judgement of Paris), a pomegranate or a vase. The iconographic type, known as the Aphrodite Fréjus, appeared in the late 5th c. BC and continued to be reproduced into Roman times. Ancient sources refer to Aphrodite as a deity of oriental provenance, who reached the Aegean via Phoenicia and Cyprus. Many researchers believe that she evolved from prehistoric fertility deities, such as Astarte, whose mission was to secure reproduction and the continuity of life. However, for the ancient Greeks, Aphrodite had yet another dimension: she symbolised feminine allure and carnal pleasure, a pleasure so guileless and guiltless that Aphrodite was considered the guardian goddess of courtesans and of sacred prostitution. This dimension only emerged in Greek art after the mid-4th c. BC, when Praxiteles created the famous cult statue of ‘Cnidian Aphrodite’ – the first nude representation of a Greek goddess. The earlier type of Aphrodite Fréjus –with bare breast, garment clinging to the body and hand uplifting the himation– possibly anticipates this artistic effort to enhance the goddess’s erotic aspect.