User:Octogeist/Arsu

Lead
Arsu was a part of the pantheon of gods from Palmyra, Syria. His worship is also confirmed by material evidence in the Temple of Adonis, Dura-Europos where there was a relief, which shows Arsu on a camel. Arsu is one of the main deities of the sanctuaries in Palmyra maintained by the four tribes of the city. Arsu is thought to have originally been worshiped by nomadic people in the modern-day Syrian desert, as shown by his small round shield and camel traditionally found on warrior desert gods. There are inscriptions naming the Bene-Mattabol tribe of Palmyra as the “administrators” of Arsu’s sanctuary. Arsu is frequently associated with his twin brother Azizos, who represents the morning star, so it has been surmised that Arsu would have also represented the evening star. He is thought of as being the protector of caravans and travelers shown by the location of his sanctuary in on the southeast of the wadi in Palmyra, right along the route where caravans passed the city, as well as the fact that the tribe Bene-Mattabol originated from a nomadic desert tribe around modern Syria. Arsu was an important god to the Palmyrenes, shown by the high quantity of Palmyrene names containing Arsu as a theophoric element.

Article body
Arsu is frequently seen in reliefs carrying a lance and small round shield, as well as riding a camel. In later years under Roman rule there are reliefs of him shown wearing Roman military gear, the traditional dress for high-ranking gods in. In multiple reliefs there is an incense offering to Arsu. It is also speculated that Arsu has astrological connections, but that is disputed. One argument is that since Azizos is often associated with the morning star, and Arsu is believed to be Azizos' twin, Arsu represents the evening star, backed up by the rose in the sky found on the relief in the Temple of Adonis of Dura-Europos. Another academic argues however that there is little to none concrete evidence Arsu is associated with astrology, and disputes how associated Arsu is with Azizos in entirety, since there is only relief showing them together in Palmyra.

Arsu is often found associated with the deity Bel, another main deity of Palmyra. In Palmyra, most monuments include Arsu with the triad of Bel, the three main deities, Bel, Agibol, and Malakbel, theorized to represent the civic cult of Palmyra; however, in Dura-Europos, Arsu is often found separate from the traditional triad, and the triad is never named as such. There is one dipinto, an engraved painting found in the “house of banquet” in  Dura-Europos showing the triad  with other Palmyrene gods, including Arsu, but rather be identified as the triad, the relief is titled the “Otes fresco”.

There are many gods under different names who represent similar values to Arsu, and academics debate their relations. Originally, The name Arsu is an Aramaicized version of the name Ruda, the name of an Arab deity, whose name translates to “the favorable one”. In Edessa, the gods Mun’im and Azizos were worshiped, and since Azizos is typically associated with Arsu, academics have argued it is likely Arsu is worshiped under the name Mun’im. This is disputed though, as there is evidence that Mun’im was also identified in a relief found in Palmyra although not of Palmyrene origin as well as the fact Mun’im rides a horse, when Arsu is consistently identified as the camel-riding god. The Greeks wrote of Arsu under the name Ares, due to their shared warrior nature; however, this does not mean the gods represented the same values.