In Greek, the goddess of love and beauty.
The worship of the Phœnician goddess Astarte, brought in by Phœnician traders in early days, helped to form the conception which the Greeks had of Aphrodite.
A Sanctuary of Aphrodite (Astarte) stood on the place where, according to Christian tradition, was the Sepulchre of Christ.
A chief worship of Ascalon was that of Ἀφροδίτη Οὐρανία, i.e. of Astarte, as Queen of Heaven. Herodotus mentions her as the deity of Ascalon.
This female deity is represented on coins of the Imperial epoch chiefly as the tutelary goddess of the City.
As goddess of the sea, and maritime traffic, especially of calm seas, and prosperous voyages, she was widely worshipped by sailors and fishermen as the goddess of calm.
Her influence was also felt in the gardens among the flowers in the spring-time. It was then that her principal festivals occurred.
A chief seat of her worship was Cyprus.
Additional information on this independent, unmarried goddess is to be found in Sayce's Patriarchal Palestine, pp. 218-21.
3. Apollo (Greek Ἀπόλλων), son of Zeus and Leto, brother of Artemis, portrayed with flowing hair, as ever being young.