The ancient statue discovered on Milos in 1820 and commonly called the Venus de Milo is the Aphrodite of Milos.
The marble figure represents Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It was discovered in 1820 on the Aegean island of Milos, then under Ottoman rule, and was acquired by France soon afterward. The statue has been displayed at the Louvre in Paris since 1821.
The sculpture is usually dated to the late 2nd century BCE, although its exact date and sculptor remain uncertain. Its missing arms have encouraged many reconstructions, but no reconstruction is universally accepted. The figure may once have held an object, and her original pose may have been more complex than the surviving image suggests.
“Venus de Milo” is the Roman-style name by which the statue became famous, while “Aphrodite of Milos” reflects the Greek identity of the goddess. It should not be confused with the prehistoric Venus of Willendorf, a much older limestone figurine from Austria.