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14S SEMITIC ORIGINS



more primitiye times. ^ Not altogether unlike this in
principle was the custom of the Aztecs in Mexico to sacri-
fice to the gods of conquered countries to propitiate them.'

At the period covered by the Old Testament and the
Phoenician inscriptions the chief god of each locality was
known as a ba'al^ — a term which denotes the proprietor
or inhabitant of some favored place or district. Robert-
son Smith thought' that among the Semites it desig^ted
the divine proprietor of naturally irrigated land, and there
is much to be said for this view. Every city had its
BaaU^ and there would seem to have been as many of
them as there were towns, cities, sanctuaries, or objects
which appeared to the worshippers to have a religious
significance. Thus there was the Baal of Tyre, the Baal
of Sidon, Baal-Hamman, Baal-Barith, Baal-Shamem, Baal-
Zebub, etc. In parts of Palestine this god was identified
with the sun and called Shemesh. The town of Beth-
Shemesh (1 Sam. 6) was named from his worship.
