The solar character of Baal is, however, far from predominant, and as early as the time of Josiah we find the Sun worshipped separately from him,[1115] no doubt under a different name.
Baal is, to a considerable extent, a city god.

Tyre especially was dedicated to him; and we hear of the "Baal of Tyre"[1116] and again of the "Baal of Tarsus."[1117] Essentially, he was the embodiment of the generative principle in nature--"the god of the creative power, bringing all things to life everywhere."[1118] Hence, "his statue rode upon bulls, for the bull was the symbol of generative power; and he was also represented with bunches of grapes and pomegranates in his hand,"[1119] emblems of productivity.

The sacred conical stones and pillars dedicated in his temples[1120] may have had their origin in a similar symbolism.
As polytheistic systems had always a tendency to enlarge themselves, Baal had no sooner become a separate god, distinct from El, and Rimmon, and Molech, and Adonai, than he proceeded to multiply himself, and from Baal became Baalim,[1121] either because the local Baals--Baal-Tzur, Baal-Sidon, Baal-Tars, Baal-Libnan, Baal-Hermon--were conceived of as separate deities, or because the aspects of Baal--Baal as Sun-God, Baal as Lord of Heaven, Baal as lord of flies,[1122], &c .-- were so viewed, and grew to be distinct objects of worship.

In later times he was identified with the Egyptian Ammon, and worshipped as Baal-Hammon.
Baal is known to have had temples at Baalbek, at Tyre, at Tarsus, at Agadir[1123] (Gades), in Sardinia,[1124] at Carthage, and at Ekron.
Though not at first worshipped under a visible form, he came to have statues dedicated to him,[1125] which received the usual honours.
Sometimes, as already observed, his head was encircled with a representation of the solar rays; sometimes his form was assimilated to that under which the Egyptians of later times worshipped their Ammon.
Seated upon a throne and wrapped in a long robe, he presented the appearance of a man in the flower of his age, bearded, and of solemn aspect, with the carved horn of a ram on either side of his forehead.
Figures of rams also supported the arms of his throne on either side, and on the heads of these two supports his hands rested.[1126] The female deity whose place corresponded to that of Baal in the Phoenician Pantheon, and who was in a certain sense his companion and counterpart, was Ashtoreth or Astarte.

As Baal was the embodiment of the generative principle in nature, so was Ashtoreth of the receptive and productive principle.