ABSTRACT
Ishtar was an important deity in ancient Mesopotamia throughout its history. She had three aspects: (1) the goddess of sex and prostitutes, 1 (2) a warlike goddess desiring power, and (3) the planet Venus, that is, the morning and evening star. Her symbols were the star or star disc and later the rosette. She was the daughter of An, the sky god, though many traditions abound as to her parentage. 2
