44 FLORA OF THE 



Judging from their monuments, the Assyrians appear 

 to have had a variety of these trees. As far as I have 

 been able to make out, four or five different kinds of 

 sacred trees are traceable on the monuments. Some 

 are readily identifiable ; but others, and especially those 

 which are found only on seals, are less so, owing to 

 the smallness of the figures. These are : — 



The Date-tree. 



The Vine. 



The Pomegranate-tree. 



The Fir-tree ; and not improbably 



The Oak. 

 In studying the origin of these sacred trees, one 

 should not leave out of consideration that they are 

 represented in a rude manner, mostly on flat stone 

 surfaces. If we add to this the fancy of the artist in 

 producing a picture, pretty to look at and suited to the 

 place in which it was to be shown, the conventionality 

 of these sacred trees will be sufficiently accounted for, 

 the object of the artist being rather to suggest the 

 idea, than to give an accurate delineation of the tiling. 

 The conventionality of these trees should be looked 

 upon much in the same light as the conventional mode 

 of delineating flowers and other objects, which designers 

 of carpets, curtains, wall-papers, etc., make use of in 

 the present day ; only the decorative art of those days 

 was in its infancy. 



