text: I found some pretty neat sites that talk about the history of the heart's symbology. \n\nThe heart we know has been used for years, since the Ice Age, as a symbol, because it loosely resembles the human heart. It was related to the attirbute of Eros, the god of sexuality, thus some of its romantic connotations. \n\nThe best of the websites is the second one. It has a TON of information on the cultural history of the heart. If you go to Culture --> Civilization, you'll get info like this:\n\n  All of the ancient cultures shared one trait in common in how they perceived the heart. They thought that the heart was the center of emotion. The Egyptians, for instance, thought the heart to be the most important organ. They would embalm bodies by removing the organs and placing them in ceramic containers to be buried with the body. However, the heart would be the only organ left in the body. They felt the heart played an important role in the afterlife. As legend has it, if the heart (representing conscience) weighs less than the feather (representing truth) then the person will be allowed to live in the afterlife. The Egyptians thought the heart generated thought and emotion. They had no conception of the mind (brain). \n\n    Along with the Egyptians, the ancient Greeks thought the soul was associated with the heart as well.  The Greeks found that the heart was even more firm than the liver, and therefore, they interpreted this to mean that it had great significance in the human life.\n\nThe word, lev (meaning “heart” in Hebrew) is found 190 times in the Jewish bible. It is always understood that emotional and spiritual behavior is associated with the heart.\n\nHope that helps!