TYPE: Fertility Goddess
ORIGIN: Western Semitic predominantly Phoenician [Lebanon, Syria]
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: from circa 1500 BCE or earlier until circa 200 BCE
SYNONYMS: Astarat; Attart (Ugarit)
CENTER(S) OF CULT: predominantly Tyre; also Sidon, Byblos, Ascalon, Carthage, Kition [Cyprus], Eryx [Sicily] and Malta
ART REFERENCES: Sculptures, plaques, votive stelae, glyptics, etc.
LITERARY SOURCES: Mainly inscriptions
MAJOR CULT CENTER: Ugarit, Emar, Sidion, Tyre
PLANET: possibly Venus
SYMBOLS: Lion, Horse, Chariot
PARENTS: Epigeius and Ge (Hellenized Phoenician tradition); Ptah or Ra (in Egyptian tradition)
CONSORT: Possibly Baal (Hadad)
EQUIVALENTS:
INFORMATION: The goddess oof the evening star, of war and of sexual love. Inscriptions from the fifth century BCE in her major temple at Sidon suggest that she was perceived as an emanation of Baal Samin, personifying his divine power. She is also his consort. Her animal is the sphinx, which typically appears on either side of her throne. She is often represented by baetyls or stone stelae. In Hellenic times she became largely syncretized with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. A first century BCE inscription in a sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite at Delos indentifies the "holy Syrian goddess". Astarte is typically depicted naked and, in the Egyptian style, wears a crown of cows' horns enclosing a sun disc. The latter may have rays emanating. See Also Astoreth, Istar, and Aserah.