ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 



45 



The tree which seems to have been most revered 

 in Assyrian times was the date-pahn ; and one can 

 fancy the importance of such a tree in those regions.^ 

 Assyria proper was, perhaps, too far north to grow 

 date-trees extensively ; but for our purpose, we may 

 consider Babylonia and Assyria as one region. 



Fig. i6. — From Rawlinson's 

 ' Five Great Monarchies. ' Eacii 

 tuft of the circumference is 

 supported by a pair of horns. 



Fig. 17. — From Rawlinson's ' Five 

 Great Monarchies.' 



In No. 37/5'. of the Nimrood Gallery, British Museum, 

 two winged genii are figured kneeling before a sacred 

 tree, such as that shown in fig. 16. 



Close by are two winged genii in a posture of adoration 



' See Herodotus' account of this tree on p. 9. 



