ATARGATIS. – She is the principal goddess of the Arameans (Syrians). The name is composed of two elements: the Semitic ‘Aştart-Asartre-Ishtar and ‘ata. The meaning of the latter element is uncertain, but it is often translated as “opportune time,” “happy event,” or “fortune.” The name of A. would therefore be the Syriac form of the name of Astarte combined with the name of a goddess of fortune. This name appears in many Palmyrene inscriptions and on some coins. The name of the goddess does not occur in the Bible, but in 2 Macc. 12:26, a temple of the goddess is mentioned in the Greek text in the city of Carnion in Transjordan (1 Macc. 5:43–44). The cult of this goddess, spreading from Palmyra through soldiers, merchants, and Syrian slaves, reached Delos, Dacia, Pannonia, Rome, and even Britain. The name A. corresponds to that of the goddess of the Philistines, Derceto.
V. ASTARTE. Arduino Kleinhans