Ancient Goddesses of Sex and War - Ronald Hutton

Video Description

00:00 // Introduction to Ancient Goddesses 00:05 // The Evolution of Deities in the Ancient World 00:45 // Love and War: A Surprising Combination 03:00 // Inanna: The First Goddess of Sex and War 03:30 // Inanna’s Origins in Mesopotamia 06:00 // From Agricultural Guardian to War Goddess 09:30 // The Descent of Inanna: The Underworld Story 15:00 // Ishtar: The Akkadian Transformation 16:00 // The Merging of Inanna and Ishtar 20:00 // Ishtar in the Epic of Gilgamesh 25:00 // Ishtar’s Role in Warfare and Love 30:00 // The Spread of the Goddess Tradition 31:00 // Ishtar’s Influence on Syria and Palestine 35:00 // Astarte and the Evolution of the Goddess 39:00 // The Syrian Iconography: Nude Goddesses and Symbols 45:00 // Aphrodite: The Greek Interpretation 46:00 // Aphrodite’s Arrival in Greek Mythology 49:00 // Love, Passion, and Power in Greek Culture 52:00 // The Influence of Near Eastern Traditions 55:00 // Venus: The Roman Transformation 56:00 // Venus as a War and Love Goddess 58:00 // The Lasting Legacy of Venus in Western Culture 1:00:00 // Conclusion and Audience Q&A 1:01:00 // The Feminist Perspective on Ancient Goddesses 1:05:00 // Comparing Goddesses Across Cultures 1:08:00 // Final Thoughts on the Evolution of Divine Femininity This lecture looks at a series of divine female figures in the ancient world from the Middle East to Western Europe: Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite and Venus. What they have in common, is that to varying degrees they all combined the personae of deities of sexual love and of war. It brings out the special characteristics of each, traces the relationships between them, and shows how each in the sequence, influenced the development of the next. This lecture was recorded by Professor Ronald Hutton on 20 September 2023 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London Ronald is Gresham Professor of Divinity. He is also Professor of History at the University of Bristol. https://www.gresham.ac.uk/speakers/professor-ronald-hutton The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/ancient-goddesses Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/ Website: https://gresham.ac.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/greshamcollege Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege