A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

ASTARTA,

or ASTARTE, The Goddess Astarte is call'd in Scripture, Ashtaroth, which signifies Sheep or Flocks. Sca∣liger thinks that this Name was given her up∣on the account of the Multitude of her Vi∣ctims, dea Sydoniorum. Sanchoriathon says that the Goddess Astarte is Venus-Ʋrania, or the Moon, which is the same with Venus-Urania, or Caelestis; Astarten Venerem Phaenices praedi∣cant: They say also that she has the Head of a Bull, as a token of her Sovereignty, which agrees to the Crescent or New Moon.

This made Bochart believe, that she was Io the Goddess of the Greeks, which was trans∣form'd into a Cow. Ciccro in B. 3. Di Natura Deorum would have her to be Venus, and having distinguish'd many Venus's, he says, that Venus of Syria, or Tyre, was Astarte, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Venus Syriâ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 concepta, quae Astarto

vocatur. This is also the Opinion of Suidas: But St. Austin on the contrary thinks that Astarte was Juno, which he proves from the Judgment of the Carthoginians, who could not be ignorant of the Religion of the Phaeni∣cians, & servicrunt Baal & Astartae; These are the words of Scripture which this Fa∣ther explains of Jupiter and Juno, in Lib. Jud. 9. 16.

Lucian, on the contrary says that Astarte is the Moon, although he relates that the Phae∣nicians made her pass for Europa, the Daugh∣ter of King Agenor, who was carried away in∣to Candia by Jupiter when he was transform'd into a Bull.

There is also a great Temple in Phanicia, among the Sidonians, which is dedicated to Astarte, whom I believe to be the Moon; although a Priest of the Temple told me, that she was Europa, the Sister of Cadmus and the Daughter of Age∣nor, who disappear'd I know not how; and that afterwards the People of the Coun∣try built her a Temple, and gave it out that Jupiter had ravish'd her for her Beauty. She is still to be seen engrav'd upon their Money, sitting upon a Bull; but there are some who do not believe that she is the Person to whom this Temple is dedi∣cated.

There is some Ground to conjecture that in this Case we have an Example of the Cu∣stom of the Phaenicians mention'd by Philo, the Interpreter of Sanchoniathon, viz. that they gave to the Stars the Names of their Kings, and so they paid Religious Worship to them as well as to the Stars. They might then attribute to the Daughter of King Agenor the Temple built in Honour of Astarte, i. e. according to Lucinn, to the Moon. Josephus speaks of the building of the Temple of Her∣cules, and of that of Astarte at Tyre, whose Names are manifestly deriv'd from this Di∣vinity; such as,