The statue of Aphrodite and the statues in the Parastaseis Syntomoi Chronikai are similar in that these works of art seem to have the ability to react in a sort of way to their admirers. For example, the statue of Aphrodite had the ability to seduce and drive a man to madness to the point where he “hurled himself over a cliff or down into the waves of the sea and to have vanished utterly.” Similarly, when Theodoris from Himerius the chartularius, says the words “Maximian was the builder and Aristides the architect”, the statue fell and killed Himerius. Thus, in a sense, the pagan items of worship were portrayed as somewhat sentient and malicious in these works. This is a great difference when compared to the portrayal of Christian icons and
