There is a rich corpus of terracotta figures with a strong association with the goddess Astarte, whose name was altered to Ishtar within Assyro-Babylonian religions. The goddess Ishtar, who was derived from the Sumerian goddess Inaana, was worshipped as a significant female deity who represented fertility. She was the most important female deity in Mesopotamia throughout the second millennium BC. She was identified with the planet Venus and with the sunrise, and was recognised as the goddess of both sexual love and warfare. The Greeks identified her with the goddess of love, Aphrodite. This fine example presents ancient Parthian innovation in adopting a classical style and in embracing Mesopotamian traditions.
