The “Sacred Tree,” or “Tree of Life,” is often represented in Assyrian art, and under different forms, but generally with a king or some divinity on either side of it, paying homage (Figs. [157], [162A], [208]).
An enlarged portion of it is seen at Fig. 199.
Fig. 199.—Upper Portion of a Tree of Life; from Layard. (P. & C.)
The exact meaning of the “Sacred Tree” has not yet been satisfactorily explained, but, at any rate, it seems likely enough that it represents a palm-tree, shown by the palmate head and by the conventional markings on the trunk, no doubt meant for the bark roughening lines. The surrounding palmates may be meant to represent a leafy enclosure for the sacred tree in the centre, or the whole thing may be a conventional picture of a sacred grove.
Owing to the comparative lateness of the universal use of the lotus in Assyrian art, we can well imagine that this flower form was introduced into Assyria by the articles in bronze, ivory, and other material by the Phœnician traders, that were both of Egyptian and Phœnician design, as there was scarcely an article of commerce on which the lotus was not represented in those early days of Phœnician trade (900 to 300 B.C.)
Fig. 200.—Guilloche Ornament on Enamelled Brick. (B.M.) (P. & C.)
Fig. 201.—Ivory Plaque; Actual Size. Drawn by Gautier. (P. & C.)