De dea Syra
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The "De dea Syra" is a work by Lucian of Samosata, a Greek rhetorician and satirist. This text discusses the worship of the goddess Atargatis in northern Syria, particularly at her main sanctuary in Hierapolis. Atargatis was a fertility goddess, also seen as a protector of her people, often depicted with a mural crown and holding grain. Her cult spread to the Greek world, where she was associated with Aphrodite. Lucian's work provides insight into religious practices and cultural exchanges of the time.12
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- Middle Eastern religionLiterary sources of knowledge of ancient Middle Eastern religion
The Greek satirist Lucian’s De Dea Syra (“Concerning the Syrian Goddess”) is of enduring value for an understanding of Canaanite religion. The writings of Herodotus, the 5th-century-bc Greek historian, remain an indispensable source for the cultural history and religion of the ancient Middle East. And owing to the discovery…
Read MoreThe Greek satirist Lucian’s De Dea Syra (“Concerning the Syrian Goddess”) is of enduring value for an understanding of Canaanite religion. The writings of Herodotus, the 5th-century-bc Greek historian, remain an indispensable source for the cultural history and religion of the ancient Middle East. And owing to the discovery…
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Syrian and Palestinian religionSources of modern knowledge…Greek and Latin sources are De dea Syra (“About the Syrian Goddess”) from the 2nd century ce, attributed to Lucian of Samosata, and the section of Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio evangelica (“Preparation for the Gospel”; 4th century ce) that cites extracts from a history of Phoenicia by Philo of Byblos…
Read More…Greek and Latin sources are De dea Syra (“About the Syrian Goddess”) from the 2nd century ce, attributed to Lucian of Samosata, and the section of Eusebius of Caesarea’s Praeparatio evangelica (“Preparation for the Gospel”; 4th century ce) that cites extracts from a history of Phoenicia by Philo of Byblos…
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