Early Christians frequently adapted pagan iconography to suit Christian purposes. In the Early Middle Ages, Christians adapted elements of Aphrodite/Venus's iconography and applied them to Eve and prostitutes, but also female saints and even the Virgin Mary. Christians in the east reinterpreted the story of Aphrodite's birth as a metaphor for baptism; in a Coptic stele from the sixth century AD, a female orant is shown wearing Aphrodite's conch shell as a sign that she is newly baptized.
Early Christians frequently adapted pagan imagery to fit Christian themes. In the Early Middle Ages, Christians modified elements of Aphrodite/Venus's iconography and applied them to Eve, prostitutes, female saints, and even the Virgin Mary.  Christians in the east reinterpreted the story of Aphrodite's birth as a metaphor for baptism; a Coptic stele from the sixth century AD depicts a woman wearing Aphrodite's conch shell as a symbol of her recent baptism.