Book excerpt: "Worshipping Aphrodite fills a gap in scholarship that has largely ignored the worship of Aphrodite in classical Athens in favor of more prominent deities, such as Athena, Zeus, and Hephaistos. It is the first study in English to address the role Aphrodite played in the daily religious activities of the city's population by focusing on the archaeological material associated with Aphrodite's Athenian and Attic cult sites from a specific time period." "By examining this material together, Rosenzweig reveals that Aphrodite had a much more prominent position among the gods of classical Athens than previously understood, far greater than a deity who merely presided over matters of love and lust. Aphrodite aided in the overall maintenance and welfare of Athens' local government, business community, family life, and agricultural health and unified the people in both the public and private spheres." "This fascinating study will interest not only classical archaeologists, but those interested in the nature of Greek religion and cult practices, and those specializing in the development of the Athenian polis." "It provides a useful re-examination of scholarship on Aphrodite and enhances our understanding of her social and political importance in the Athenian environment."--BOOK JACKET.