Aphrodite was the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, and sexual desire, and was later identified with the Roman goddess Venus. The name "Aphrodite" comes from the Greek word aphros, which means "foam." Aphrodite was widely worshipped as a goddess of the sea and maritime activities. She was also revered as a goddess of war, particularly in places like Sparta, Thebes, and Cyprus. However, her primary role was as a goddess of love and fertility, and she sometimes presided over marriages. Some scholars believe that the worship of Aphrodite was influenced by Eastern traditions, and many of her characteristics resemble those of the ancient Middle Eastern goddesses Ishtar and Astarte. Homer referred to her as "Cyprian," due to her strong association with Cyprus, but by the time Homer wrote, she had already been integrated into Greek culture. In Homer’s Odyssey, Aphrodite is married to Hephaestus, the lame blacksmith god, but she has an affair with the handsome god of war, Ares. From this union, she had several children, including Harmonia, the twins Phobos and Deimos, and Eros, the god of love.