Photo Gallery: Antioch Mosaics

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Mosaic of a boat of Psyches, from room 3 of the "House of the Boat of Psyches" (see floor plan).

Psyche means both "Soul" and "Butterfly" in Greek, and also refers to a character from Greek myth, a princess of outstanding beauty who aroused Venus' jealousy and Cupid's love. The fullest version of the tale is told by the Latin author Apuleius in his Metamorphoses (The Golden Ass).

According to Apuleius, the goddess Venus (Aphrodite) was jealous of Psyche's beauty and commanded her son Cupid (Eros, the god of love) to inspire the princess with love for the most despicable of men. Instead, Cupid hid Psyche in a remote palace where he could visit her secretly and only in total darkness. One night, Psyche lit a lamp and found that the figure at her side was the god of love himself. Awakening, Eros reproached Psyche and fled. Wandering the earth in search of him, Psyche fell into the hands of Venus, who imposed upon her difficult tasks. Finally, touched by Psyche's repentance, Cupid rescued her, and, at his instigation, Jupiter (Zeus) made her immortal and gave her in marriage to Cupid. The story as told by Apuleius becomes an allegory of the progress of the Soul guided by Love.

Daphne, third century AD. Antakya Museum, inv. 846.