Protective
Astarte
ꜥstrtGreekAstarte, a Semitic name; the Greeks identified her with Aphrodite Ourania
How it changed
A Semitic goddess of war and of horses, the animal Egypt itself had taken up with the chariot not long before, which is probably why she arrived tied to it. Made a daughter of Ra or of Ptah and given a temple at Memphis, she also features in the fragmentary Astarte Papyrus, an Egyptian version of a Levantine story about the sea's demand for tribute. The Greeks identified her with Aphrodite.
Cult centre
Adopted from the Levant; a temple at Memphis
Best attested
New Kingdom, imported from the Levant
Family
- ParentsDaughter of Ra, or of Ptah, in Egyptian texts
Made a daughter of Ra, or of Ptah, in Egyptian texts.
Epithets
- “Lady of horses”
- “Mistress of the chariot”
How to recognise the figure
An armed woman on horseback or in a chariot, often crowned with the atef or with horns.
Others in this group