紀元前2600年頃のキシュのアガ王の腕輪、紀元前2400年頃のルガル=キサルシ王の石版など、イナンナの名を記した様々な碑文が知られている。
<blockquote>"全土の王アンと、その愛人イナンナのために、キシュの王ルガル=キサルシは中庭の壁を築いた。"<br />
- ルガル=キサルシの碑文<ref>Maeda, 1981, p8</ref>。</blockquote>
Various inscriptions in the name of Inanna are known, such as a bead in the name of King [[Aga of Kish]] circa 2600 BCE, or a tablet by King [[Lugal-kisalsi]] circa 2400 BCE:
{{blockquote|[[File:BM_91013_Tablet_dedicated_by_Lugal-tarsi.jpg|left|130px]]"For [[An (god)|An]], king of all the lands, and for Inanna, his mistress, [[Lugal-kisalsi]], king of [[Kish (Sumer)|Kish]], built the wall of the courtyard." |Inscription of Lugal-kisalsi.{{sfn|Maeda|1981|p=8}}}}
During the [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian period]] ({{circa}} 2334 – 2154 BCE), following the conquests of [[Sargon of Akkad]], Inanna and originally independent Ishtar became so extensively syncretized that they became regarded as effectively the same.{{sfn|Leick|1998|page=87}}{{sfn|Collins|1994|pages=110–111}} The Akkadian poet [[Enheduanna]], the daughter of Sargon, wrote numerous hymns to Inanna, identifying her with Ishtar.{{sfn|Leick|1998|page=87}}{{sfn|Collins|1994|page=111}} As a result of this,{{sfn|Leick|1998|page=87}} the popularity of Inanna/Ishtar's cult skyrocketed.{{sfn|Leick|1998|page=87}}{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=108}}{{sfn|Wolkstein|Kramer|1983|pages=xviii, xv}} Alfonso Archi, who was involved in early excavations of Ebla, assumes Ishtar was originally a goddess venerated in the Euphrates valley, pointing out that an association between her and the [[desert poplar]] is attested in the most ancient texts from both [[Ebla]] and [[Mari, Syria|Mari]]. He considers her, a moon god (e.g., [[Nanna (Sumerian deity)|Sin]]) and a sun deity of varying gender ([[Shamash]]/[[Shapash]]) to be the only deities shared between various early Semitic peoples of Mesopotamia and ancient Syria, who otherwise had different not necessarily overlapping pantheons.<ref>A. Archi, ''The Gods of Ebla'' [in:] J. Eidem, C.H. van Zoest (eds.), ''[https://www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/annual-report-nino-and-nit-2010 Annual Report NINO and NIT 2010]'', 2011, p. 3</ref>