In On the Syrian Goddess (De Dea Syria), Lucian of Samosata presents an eyewitness account of the worship of Atargatis at the Sacred City of Hierapolis in Northern Syria. The subject of much scholarly debate over its authorship and authenticity, this text may be a lampoon of Eastern religion by one of antiquity's great satirists. On the other hand, if it is authentic, it offers a rare glimpse into the little-understood world of ancient goddess worship. Describing a cult considered ancient and mysterious even in his own time, Lucian presents scenes of orgiastic luxury, gilded temples, bizarre divination, sacred animals, phallic worship, transvestite priests, violent self-castration, and many other oddities that are sure to fascinate any reader. This volume presents Lucian's Greek text, as edited by A. M. Harmon, with a parallel English translation by Herbert Strong on facing pages. This format will be useful to those wishing to read the English translation while looking at the Greek version, or vice versa. Also included are a biography of Lucian by Strong, as well as a thorough introduction and extensive footnotes by John Garstang.

To the student of oriental religions the Dea Syria is brimful of interest. It describes the cult and worship of the goddess of Northern Syria, Atargatis, at her sacred city, Hierapolis, now Mumbij. The time when Lucian wrote would be the middle of the second century B.C. We do not see any reason to reject the traditional authorship of the treatise: on the contrary, the work seems to reveal the famous satirist at home, taking a natural interest in local memories and institutions, while making, doubtless, mental notes that were to prove of use in the works for which he is best known. Of the many writers who refer to the Dea Syria, no one dwells upon the fundamental character of the cult at Hierapolis, nor deals with the problem of its historical origins. It is this aspect of inquiry, therefore, with which we chiefly deal in the Introduction and the foot notes. Lucian's description, amplified by the later account of Macrobius, and further illustrated by the local coinage of Hierapolis, reveals the central cult as that of a divine pair. The male god, a form of Hadad, is symbolised by the bull, and is hence both Lord of Heaven and Creator. The female deity is shown by her very name, "Atargatis," to be a form of Ishtar or Astarte. Being mated with the god, whom Lucian calls Zeus, she is called by him Hera: but she wears a mural crown, and is symbolised by the lion; and Lucian recognises in her traces of Kybele, Aphrodite, Artemis, and other aspects of the Mother Goddess. An examination of the materials which modern research has made available, shows this cult to be attributable historically to the Hittites, the earliest known masters of the soil. The argument is developed in our Introduction.

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