TheStar of Ishtar orStar of Inanna is a Mesopotamian symbol of the ancientSumerian goddessInanna and her East Semitic counterpartIshtar. Theowl was also one of Ishtar's primary symbols. Ishtar is mostly associated with the planetVenus, which is also known as the morning star.
The star of Inanna usually hadeight points,[1] though the exact number of points sometimes varies.[2] Six-pointed stars also occur frequently, but their symbolic meaning is unknown.[3] The eight-pointed star was Inanna's most common symbol,[1] and in later times became the most common symbol of the goddess Ishtar, Inanna'sEast Semitic counterpart.[1] It seems to have originally borne a general association with the heavens,[1] but, by the Old Babylonian Period, it had come to be specifically associated with the planet Venus, with which Ishtar was identified.[1] Starting during this same period, the star of Ishtar was normally enclosed within a circular disc.[3]
During later times, slaves who worked in Ishtar's temples were sometimes branded with the seal of the eight-pointed star.[3] Onboundary stones andcylinder seals, the eight-pointed star is sometimes shown alongside thecrescent moon, which was the symbol ofSin, god of the Moon, and the rayedsolar disk, which was a symbol ofShamash, the god of the Sun.[4][2]
Therosette was another important symbol of Ishtar which had originally belonged to Inanna.[5] During the Neo-Assyrian Period, the rosette may have actually eclipsed the eight-pointed star and become Ishtar's primary symbol.[6] The temple of Ishtar in the city ofAššur was adorned with numerous rosettes.[5]
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In Arabic, the symbol is known as (Arabic:نجمة عشتار,romanized: najmat eshtar). The stars of Ishtar and Shamash featured on thecoat of arms of theKingdom of Iraq from 1932 to 1959.
A simplified version with red rays and a yellow centre was incorporated into theflag of Iraq from 1959 to 1963. It also featured in a combination with the sun ofShamash on thenational emblem of Iraq from 1959 to 1965.[7][8][9]
Media related toStar of Ishtar at Wikimedia Commons