The goddesses Inanna and Ishtar in their distinctiveness from each other in the Sumerian-Akkadian civilization

This article is devoted to the goddesses of the Sumerian-Akkadian civilization — Inanna and Ishtar. The article notes that usually these two goddesses are identified with each other, and the difference is recognized only in their names: Sumerian Inanna and Akkadian Ishtar. Meanwhile, based on the analysis of the Sumerian epic, it is assumed that we are talking about two different goddesses, the primacy of one of which indicates the preferences of the society of the cities of this civilization. The gradual displacement of Inanna by the goddess Ishtar may be evidence not only of the military and political offensive of Akkadian culture, but also of the spiritual crisis of Mesopotamia society as a whole, including the Sumerian people. It was the regression of moral consciousness that became the condition for the crisis of civilization and the ruin of the city of Ur, presumably in 2004 BC. The image of the goddess Inanna is multifaceted — she is a virgin, and a wife, and creative, and destructive. The article ignores the image of Inanna as a warrior, but focuses on the categories of purity and girlhood. The important point of this article is that one should not unambiguously identify the goddess Inanna with Ishtar.