moves along its orbit, it appears from Earth’s perspective to periodically slow, stop, and
then move backwards. This so-called retrograde motion lasts approximately six weeks,
which ends when Venus seems to stop briefly and move forward again. The retrograde
motions of Venus happen at regular intervals, taking place five times within the
greater eight-year Venus cycle.
It is this eight-year cycle that is recorded on the Venus tablet of Amisaduaq,
the tablet of Mesopotamian omens based on the movements of Venus. It dates from
approximately 1750 to 1650 B.C.E. and is the earliest known astrological document. In
addition, the tablet emphasizes the first and last visibilities of Venus, those times
Venus is seen rising just prior to the Sun or setting after it. In the first instance Venus
has not been visible for a time, as it has been too close to the sun. Its first visibility is
the first morning it can be spotted rising before the Sun, heralding the coming dawn.
Similarly, the last visibility is the last time Venus was seen setting on the tail of the
Sun. It then disappears for a time behind the Sun’s light. These two distinctly differ-
ent sightings were important as they recognized the dual nature of Venus.
The Sumerian Inannawas the goddess of love, fertility, desire, and attraction.
She presided over the passions, some of which were destructive ones such as jealousy
and anger. Inanna also claimed possession of the Tablets of Destiny, giving her control
of the universe. She was the most powerful of deities. Sumerian poetry describes her as
Queen of Heaven, Lady of the Evening, as well as Lady of Light, associating Inanna
with the planet Venus as both the rising and setting star. Her dual nature ruled over
both love and hate, light and dark as seen in her mythology, which includes stories of
her descent into the underworld as well as her return to the land of living. The
ancients equated the disappearance of Venus with her descent into the underworld.
There she had to face herself at her most vulnerable, die, and then rise again as Queen
of Heaven and Earth.
When the Akkadians settled in Sumerian territory Inanna’s name changed to
Ishtar.Babylonian poetic descriptions of the descent of Ishtar are nearly identical to the
myths of Inanna with the exception of a more forceful warrior like temperament in
Ishtar. Thus Ishtar also had the dual characteristics of love and attraction as the evening
star as opposed to lust and hostility as the morning star. This was reflected in Babylonian
astrological omens where good or evil outcomes were indicated by Ishtar’s placements.
While the Mesopotamian lands repeatedly changed hands to be led by the
Assyrians and then the conquering Persians, the goddess associated with Venus
changed names to the Syrian Astartefollowed by the Persian Anahita.The goddess
continued to be seen as the source of all waters and fertility on the earth, the holder of
wisdom and benefactress of the human race. Beautiful, bright and adorned with gold,
she was the seductive goddess, symbolizing the tradition of temple prostitution. Astrol-
ogy centered on the reading of omens also continued in Babylon, however by the sixth
century B.C.E. the planets began to be seen as either malefic or benefic, rather than
dependent on season or rising time, and Venus became overwhelmingly benefic.
The Greeks received knowledge of astrology and the five wandering stars from
the Babylonians. In equating the planets to their own pantheon of gods they equated
Ishtar with Aphrodite, their goddess of love and beauty. The fertility aspects of IshtarVenus
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