APHRODITE— ATARGATIS 



127 



To her, seemingly, as many offerings, as many prayers 

 were made as to any god. 



Wfiether she can be identified or not with Atargatis, 

 througli Derceto or Astarte, matters Httle here.' But the 

 image of the goddess, as described by Liician,2 " In Phoenicia, 

 I saw the image of Derceto, a strange sight truly ! For she 

 had the half of a woman, and from the thighs downwards 

 a lish's tail," corresponds closely with an image of Ascalon,3 



ARTEMIS WITH A LARGE FISH IN FRONT OF HER DRESS. 



From Ephemeris Archelogique, PI. 10, 



" having the face of a woman, but all the rest of the body 

 a fish." 



When in addition we find this same image at Ascalon 

 stated by Herodotus (II. 115) to be that " of the heavenly 

 Aphrodite," the identification of the Greek- Roman goddess 

 appears, at any rate, to have gained wide acceptance. 

 Doubtless Horace had this,* or perhaps some fish-tailed 



^ It is probably the wisest course to admit that the unity of an ancient 

 god or goddess was a matter of name, rather than of nature. 



* De Dea Syr., ii. c. 14. The authorship is a matter of doubt. The 

 author adds, " but the image in the holy city is all woman." 



=> Diod. Sic, II. I. 



* On Greek ,ind Italian vases, etc., women with fish bodies are occasionally 

 represented. Cf. Keller, op. cit., ii. 349. 



