gave his name to no less than ten kings of the same city.  Even as late as the Graeco- Roman epoch, kingship over the other gods was still attributed both to Rimmon and to Hadad, but this latter was identified with the sun.

** The documents which we possess in regard to Dagon date from the Hebrew epoch, and represent him as worshipped by the Philistines.  We know, however, from the Tel el-Amarna tablets, of a Dagantakala, a name which proves the presence of the god among the Canaanites long before the Philistine invasion, and we find two Beth-Dagons—­one in the plain of Judah, the other in the tribe of Asher; Philo of Byblos makes Dagon a Phoenician deity, and declares him to be the genius of fecundity, master of grain and of labour.  The representation of his statue which appears on the Graeco- Roman coins of Abydos, reminds us of the fish-god of Chaldaea.

Each god had for his complement a goddess, who was proclaimed “mistress” of the city, Baalat, or “queen,” Milkat, of heaven, just as the god himself was recognised as “master” or “king."* As a rule, the goddess was contented with the generic name of Astarte; but to this was often added some epithet, which lent her a distinct personality, and prevented her from being confounded with the Astartes of neighbouring cities, her companions or rivals.**

* Among goddesses to whom the title “Baalat “was referred, we have the goddess of Byblos, Baalat-Gebal, also the goddess of Berytus, Baalat-Berith, or Beyrut.  The epithet “queen of heaven “is applied to the Phoenician Astarte by Hebrew (Jer. vii. 18, xliv. 18-29) and classic writers.  The Egyptians, when they adopted these Oanaanitish goddesses, preserved the title, and called each of them nibit pit, “lady of heaven.”  In the Phoenician inscriptions their names are frequently preceded by the word Rabbat:  rabbat Baalat-Gebal, “(my) lady Baalat-Gebal.”

** The Hebrew writers frequently refer to the Canaanite goddesses by the general title “the Ashtaroth” or “Astartes,” and a town in Northern Syria bore the significant name of Istarati = “the Ishtars, the Ashtaroth,” a name which finds a parallel in Anathoth = “the Anats,” a title assumed by a town of the tribe of Benjamin; similarly, the Assyrio- Chaldaeans called their goddesses by the plural of Ishtar.  The inscription on an Egyptian amulet in the Louvre tells us of a personage of the XXth dynasty, who, from his name, Rabrabina, must have been of Syrian origin, and who styled himself “Prophet of the Astartes,” Honnutir Astiratu.

[Illustration:  229.jpg ASTARTE AS A SPHINX]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a copy of an original in chased
     gold.

Thus she would be styled the “good” Astarte, Ashtoreth Naamah, or the “horned” Astarte, Ashtoreth Qarnaim, because of the lunar crescent which appears on her forehead, as a sort of head-dress.* She was the goddess of good luck, and was called Gad;** she was Anat,*** or Asiti,**** the chaste and the warlike.