Who is Astarte?
Q: Who is Astarte?
A: Astarte is the Queen of Heaven, a goddess of war and sexual love, and a great goddess of the ancient Middle East.
Q: Did Astarte have a sister?
A: Yes, Astarte had a sister named Anath.
Q: Were Astarte and Anath originally seen as a single deity?
A: It is possible, since they shared so many qualities that the basis for the Aramaic goddess Atargatis are their names together.
Q: What is the significance of Astarte as a chief deity of certain Mediterranean seaports?
A: Astarte was an important goddess of these seaports, which made her cult widespread as people came into contact with it through trade and travel.
Q: How did Hebrew scholars interpret the meaning of Ashtoreth mentioned in the Bible?
A: They think Ashtoreth is a deliberate conflation of the Greek name Astarte and the Hebrew word "boshet," which means "shame," indicating the Hebrews' contempt for her cult.
Q: What does the term "Ashtaroth" mean in Hebrew?
A: Ashtaroth is the plural form of the goddess's name in Hebrew and became a general term denoting goddesses and paganism.
Q: Which deities was Astarte assimilated with in the Greco-Roman world?
A: Astarte was assimilated with Aphrodite, Artemis, and Juno in the Greco-Roman world.
