ASHTAROTH
ASHTAROTH and ASHTAROTH CARNAIM (
Ἀσταρώθ, Ἀσταρώθ καὶ Καρνᾳΐν, LXX., El-Mezârîb), a town of Bashan (
Deut. 1.4; Josh. 9.10), included in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh (
Josh. 13.31), which was afterwards assigned to the Levites (1
Chron. 6.71). Eusebius (
Onomast. in Ἀσταρώθ and
Ἀσαρώθ) places it 6 M.P. from Adraa and 25 M. P. from Bostra.
This town existed in the time of Abraham (
Gen. 14.5).
The epithet of “Karnaim” or “horned” is referred to the worship of the moon under the name of Ashtaroth or Astarte.
This goddess, the Derceto of the Greeks, had a temple (
Ἀταργατείη) at Carnion (2
Mace. 12.26; comp. 1
Macc. 5.43), which is identified with Ashtaroth, and is described as a strongly fortified town, but taken by Judas Maccabaeus, who slew 25,000 of the inhabitants (2
Macc. 12.26;
J. AJ 12.8.4.)
El-Mezârîb, which Colonel Leake (
Preface to Burkhardt's
Travels, p. xii.) identifies with Ashtaroth, is the first resting-place for the caravans on the great Hadj Road from Damascus to Mekkah. Burkhardt (
Trav. p. 241) mentions, that close to the castle where the pilgrims collect, built by the Sultan Selym, is a lake or pond, a mile and a half in circumference.
In the midst of this lake is an island, and at an elevated spot at the extremity of a promontory, advancing into the lake, stands a sort of chapel, around which are many ruins of ancient buildings.
There are no other ruins. (Buckingham,
Arab. Tribes, p. 162; Chesney,
Exped. Euphrat. vol. i. p. 511 ; Capt. Newbold,
Lond. Geoq. Journ. vol. xvi. p. 333.)
[
E.B.J]
