Ashtart

Ashtart is the Phoenician name for the goddess widely identified with Astarte in broader Near Eastern tradition. She is a major deity in the ancient Levant and western Mediterranean, associated with fertility, sexuality, love, and sometimes war. In scholarship she is linked to other goddesses of similar domains, such as Ishtar and Aphrodite, and she appears in various syncretic forms across the region.

Her cult was widespread among Phoenician communities, with prominent centers in Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and later Carthage. Temples, dedicatory inscriptions, and votive offerings attest to her importance in urban religion and in royal sponsorships. In some periods she functioned alongside Baal or other major deities, and her cult adapted to changing political and cultural contexts as Phoenician influence extended into the western Mediterranean.

Iconography and symbols commonly associated with Ashtart include the planet Venus and the dove; in art she may appear with attendants or in scenes emphasizing fertility or sovereignty. Across regions and eras, her portrayal and associations could vary, reflecting local theological priorities and political relationships.

Scholarly discussion emphasizes that while Ashtart was a central figure in Phoenician and Canaanite religion, specific practices and rites associated with her worship varied and are sometimes debated. Some ancient sources and later interpretations describe fertility rites or sexual associations, but archaeological evidence remains limited and interpretations differ. The worship of Ashtart declined with the late antique transformations of the Mediterranean world, though her figure remains central to studies of Phoenician religion and its cultural influence.