A recent study sheds light on one of the main deities of the Iberians and her connection with the planet Venus, revealing that the goddess was known as Iunstir.
A team of researchers led by Daniel Iborra Pellín, from the University of Alicante, has presented new evidence about the name and worship of the Iberian Dea Mater, the chief female deity of the Iberians during the Iron Age. According to the study published in the journal Complutum, this deity, a symbol of fertility and associated with the planet Venus, was known as Iunstir, a name that reveals cultural and religious connections with other Mediterranean civilizations.
The finding represents a significant advance in the study of Iberian religion, an area traditionally limited by the lack of clear written sources and the challenges of deciphering the Iberian language. The research combines archaeological, linguistic, and astronomical data to propose that the term Iunstir, recurrent in Iberian texts, corresponds to the name of this divinity linked to fertility and the cosmos.
The study indicates that the Iberian Dea Mater was a central figure in Iberian spirituality. Her worship would have been a local manifestation of universal traditions, influenced by both Neolithic beliefs and interactions with Phoenician colonizers and other Mediterranean cultures. The novelty lies in the suggestion that the term Iunstir can be divided into two parts: “Iun”, possibly the goddess’s name, and “stir”, meaning “star”. This structure recalls other astral deities venerated in the Mediterranean, such as Ishtar or Astarte, both associated with Venus.

The planet Venus, with its unique visibility cycle and symbolic connection to fertility, would have been central to the conception of the Iberian Dea Mater, notes Iborra. This link is reinforced by numerous archaeoastronomical findings in Iberian sanctuaries and necropolises, such as their orientations toward key points of Venus’s synodic cycle.
The orientation of temples and sacred caves toward Venus is a key aspect of the discovery. In locations such as El Cigarralejo (Murcia) and La Osera (Ávila) in Spain, structures have been documented to align with specific astronomical events, such as the southern Venus set. According to the researchers, this indicates that the Iberians not only observed the sky with great precision but also integrated this knowledge into their rituals and religious beliefs.
Among the most notable findings is the Cave of La Nariz, where the so-called Goddess of Salchite was discovered, a female figure with a star on her chest, possibly representing Venus. This depiction reinforces the idea that the Iberian Dea Mater was deeply linked to this planet.

Another example is the Verdolay Vase, found near the La Luz sanctuary in Murcia, where astral decorations suggest rituals dedicated to a female deity. The temple’s orientation toward the southern Venus set confirms the importance of Venus in the Iberian worldview.
The term Iunstir is not new in studies of Iberian epigraphy, but its meaning had been the subject of numerous theories. Some researchers interpreted it as an honorific title or even a ritual formula. However, Iborra’s team argues that it is a theonym, meaning the name of a deity, based on its prominent position in texts and its association with the term neitin, another possible Iberian deity.
Furthermore, the phonetic analysis of Iunstir suggests similarities with words related to the divine in other ancient languages, such as the Basque “Jaun” (lord) or Indo-European terms associated with stars. The hypothesis that Iunstir is the designation of a major Iberian female deity is increasingly solid, concludes the author.
The discovery of the name of the Iberian Dea Mater not only sheds light on the beliefs of the Iberians but also highlights the cultural richness of this civilization, which flourished in the Iberian Peninsula between the 6th and 1st centuries BCE. Although the exact meaning of some terms and symbols remains a subject of debate, identifying Iunstir as the great Iberian goddess opens new perspectives for studying their religious practices and worldview.
SOURCES
Iborra Pellín D. (2024). La Dea Mater ibérica: iunstir y el culto al planeta Venus en el mundo ibérico. Complutum, 35(2), 319-342. doi.org/10.5209/cmpl.98812
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