In Armenian mythology, Anahit was the Goddess of fertility, healing, wisdom and water. By the 5th century BC, she was the main deity in Armenia along with her father, Aramazd (equivalent to Zeus). Historians and scribes have identified her with her Greek counterparts, Aphrodite or Artemis.
The Armenian goddess Anahit is related to the similar Old Persian goddess Anahita. Anahit, In early times, symbolised war until the Armenian goddess Nane took the domain.
According to the historian Agathangelos, the Armenian King extolled Anahit as the "great Lady Anahit, the glory of our nation and vivifier..."
She was considered the mother of all chastity and issue of the great and valiant Aramazd.
The annual festivity of the month Navasard, held in honour of Anahit, was the occasion of great gatherings, attended with dance, music, concerts and competitions.
The symbol of ancient Armenian medicine was the gilded bronze statue of the goddess Anahit.
Anahit was known as Golden Mother, and many statues were pure gold or bronze.
A fragment of the statue, the bronze head of the goddess Anahit, was found.
The statue may date to Tigranes the Great, King of Armenia (97-56 BC), whose rule saw prosperity throughout the region. The thin-walled casting of the bronze head suggests a late Hellenistic date.
The bronze head of Anahit was taken to England, and then it ended up in the British Museum.
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