ASTARTE (star)

ORIGIN western Semitic, predominantly Phoenician [Lebanon and Syria]. Fertility goddess.

KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP from circa 1500 BC or earlier until circa 200 BC.

SYNONYMS Asˇtarat; 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.

The goddess of the evening star, of war and of sexual love. Inscriptions from the fifth century BC in her major temple at Sidon suggest she was perceived as an emanation of BAALSˇ AMIN, 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 BC inscription in a sanctuary dedicated to Aphrodite at Delos identifies 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 AS ˇ TORETH, IS ˇTAR and AS ˇERAH.