Statuette of the goddess Venus
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This clay figure comes from the Walbrook valley. It shows Venus, the Roman
goddess of beauty and love. She is shown naked and combing her hair.
Clay figures of gods are common finds from Londinium, and Venus is the most
popular. She was connected with sacred springs. She may also have been
connected with the cult of a pre-Roman water goddess, as the Romans often
paired Roman gods and native ones together.
Archaeologists have found numerous clay figures and religious charms
(amulets) in the Walbrook valley. In the first and second centuries AD the
Walbrook stream ran through here. There is evidence that the Walbrook
Valley may have been a religious quarter, with several shrines along the
banks of the stream. Someone probably left this figure in the water as a
payment to the gods, in return for them fulfilling a promise or vow.
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