Baaltis, or Beltis, was, according to Philo Byblius, the daughter of Uranus and the sister of Asthoreth or Astarte.[1197] Il made her one of his many wives, and put the city of Byblus, which he had founded, under her special protection.[1198] It is doubtful, however, whether she was really viewed by the Phoenicians as a separate goddess, and not rather as Ashtoreth under another name.  The word is the equivalent of {...}, “my lady,” a very suitable title for the supreme goddess.  Beltis, indeed, in Babylonia, was distinct from Ishtar;[1199] but this fact must not be regarded as any sufficient proof that the case was the same in Phoenicia.  The Phoenician polytheism was decidedly more restricted than the Babylonian, and did not greatly affect the needless multiplication of divinities.  Baaltis in Phoenicia may be the Beltis of Babylon imported at a comparatively late date into the country, but is more probably an alternative name, or rather, perhaps, a mere honorary title of Ashtoreth.[11100]

The chief characteristic of the third period of the Phoenician religion was the syncretistic tendency,[11101] whereby foreign gods were called in, and either identified with the old national divinities, or joined with them, and set by their side.  Ammon, Osiris, Phthah, Pasht, and Athor, were introduced from Egypt, Tanith from either Egypt or Syria, Nergal from Assyria, Beltis (Baaltis) perhaps from Babylon.  The worship of Osiris in the later times appears from such names as Abd-Osir, Osir-shamar, Melek-Osir, and the like,[11102] and is represented on coins with Phoenician legends, which are attributed either to Malta or Gaulos.[11103] Osiris was, it would seem, identified with Adonis,[11104] and was said to have been buried at Byblus;[11105] which was near the mouth of the Adonis river.  His worship was not perhaps very widely spread; but there are traces of it at Byblus, in Cyprus, and in Malta.[11106] Ammon was identified with Baal in his solar character,[11107] and was generally worshipped in conjunction with Tanith, more especially at Carthage.[11108] He was represented with his head encircled by rays, and with a perfectly round face.[11109] His common title was “Lord” {...}, but in Numidia he was worshipped as “the Eternal King” {...}.[11110] As the giver of all good things, he held trees or fruits in his hands.[11111]

The Phoenicians worshipped their gods, like most other ancient nations, with prayer, with hymns of praise, with sacrifices, with processions, and with votive offerings.  We do not know whether they had any regularly recurrent day, like the Jewish Sabbath, or Christian Sunday, on which worship took place in the temples generally; but at any rate each temple had its festival times, when multitudes flocked to it, and its gods were honoured with prolonged services and sacrifices on a larger scale than ordinary.  Most festivals were annual, but some recurred at shorter intervals; and, besides the festivals, there was an