 This was also widely practiced in Sardinia and in some of the Phoenician cultures, usually in honor of the goddess Ashtart.Presumably under the influence of the Phoenicians, this practice was developed in other ports of the Mediterranean Sea, such as Erice (Sicily), Locri Epizephiri, Croton, Rossano Vaglio and Sicca Veneria.Other hypotheses include Asia Minor, Lydia, Syria and the Etruscans.