Deities of the ancient Near East |
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Religions of the ancient Near East |
Part of the myth series on Religions of the ancient Near East |
Pre-Islamic Arabian deities |
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Arabian deities of other Semitic origins |
Baalshamin (Imperial Aramaic: ܒܥܠ ܫܡܝܢ, romanized: Baʿal Šāmīn or Bʿel Šmīn, lit. 'Lord of Heaven[s]'), also called Baal Shamem (Phoenician: 𐤁𐤏𐤋 𐤔𐤌𐤌, romanized: Baʿl Šāmēm) and Baal Shamaim (Hebrew: בַּעַל שָׁמַיִם, romanized: Baʿal Šāmayīm),[1] was a Northwest Semitic god and a title applied to different gods at different places or times in ancient Middle Eastern inscriptions, especially in Canaan/Phoenicia and Syria. The title was most often applied to Hadad, who is also often titled just Ba‘al. Baalshamin was one of the two supreme gods and the sky god of pre-Islamic Palmyra in ancient Syria (Bel being the other supreme god).[2] There his attributes were the eagle and the lightning bolt, and he perhaps formed a triad with the lunar god Aglibol and the sun god Malakbel.[3] The title was also applied to Zeus.
The earliest known Phoenician reference to Baalshamin is in the Yehimilk inscription, dated to the 10th century BCE.[4]