Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love, sex and war

22 Oct, 2026 290 Other religions

The Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar was transgressive and multifaceted - potentially to the point of paradox. As the goddess of love and sex, she was responsible for the fertility of life on earth. As the goddess of war, she was also incredibly bloodthirsty, vengeful, and violent. Known in Sumerian language as Inanna and Ishtar in Akkadian, this goddess was worshipped throughout Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) and beyond for over 3500 years. Ishtar’s lovers were sometimes said to have met unfortunate ends, and she has dramatic cameos in some of the most famous literature of the period. Misha Glenny and his guests discuss how Ishtar was depicted in ancient texts, and the role of religion in Mesopotamian society. This In Our Time episode looks at why Ishtar’s seemingly contradictory portfolio as a goddess made her so powerful, and so fascinating thousands of years later. The discussion explores Ishtar’s central role in Mesopotamian pantheon, her importance for kings throughout period, and how Ishtar relates to other deities of the ancient world like Aphrodite.

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Guests

  • Martin Worthington 3 episodes
    Leader of the European Research Council Project MesOr at the University of Pisa
  • Christopher Metcalf No other episodes
    Professor of Ancient Literature and Religion and Fellow in Classics at Queen's College, University of Oxford
  • Selena Wisnom 2 episodes
    Lecturer in the Heritage of the Middle East at the University of Leicester

Reading list

  • Was Dust Their Food and Clay Their Bread? Grave Goods, the Mesopotamian Afterlife, and the Liminal Role of Inana/Ishtar
    Caitlin E. Barrett (Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions Volume 7, Issue 1, 2007)
  • Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
    Stephanie Dalley ( 2008) Google Books →
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh: A New Translation
    Andrew George ( 1999)
  • Enheduanna
    Sophus Helle ( 2023) Google Books →
  • 'Egyptian Herakles and Syrian Aphrodite?: Phoenician Art and Cultural Exchange in the Ancient Mediterranean'
    Carolina Lopez-Ruiz (R. G. Edmonds III, C. Lopez-Ruiz, S. Torallas Tovar, Magic and religion in the ancient Mediterranean world: studies in honor of Christopher A. Faraone, 2023)
  • Three Myths of Kingship in Early Greece and the Ancient Near East: The Servant, the Lover, and the Fool
    Christopher Metcalf ( 2025) Google Books →
  • Ishtar
    Louise Pryke ( 2017) Google Books →
  • The Library of Ancient Wisdom: Mesopotamia and the Making of History
    Selena Wisnom ( 2025) Google Books →

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Programme ID: m003339v

Episode page: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m003339v

Auto-category: 299.2 (Religions of the ancient Near East)