ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 51 



If the festooning of the other sacred tree, fig. 16, was 

 meant for a vine-stem, then both these trees would 

 have the same meaning, only the one is shown in its 

 leafless, winter aspect, and the other in the fruiting 

 time of the vine. 



I believe this sacred tree to have had its origin in 

 the great usefulness of the two plants — the date tree 

 and the vine. 



With regard to this particular tree, decorated all 

 round with cross-lined cones, Lenormant ^ says : " This 

 tree (fir tree or supposed tree of life) has all round 

 it a series of branches, regularly disposed. Each branch 

 ending in a cone of fir or cedar ; nevertheless," he adds, 

 " the artist has not given to his plant the foliage or 

 the habit of a coniferous tree." 



I do not in the least wonder that the Assyrian 

 artist did not give this tree either the foliage or 

 the habit of a coniferous tree, for I do not think he 

 ever intended those cones for anything but bunches of 

 grapes.2 



G. Rawlinson ^ gives a picture of a vine, shown 

 in fig. 23. There can be no doubt that it is intended 

 for a vine, as one of the branches, as is often seen on 



^ ' Origines de I'histoire,' p. 83, vol. i, note 2. 



' These unfortunate cones have had a good deal to put up with. M. 

 Lenormant made them fir-cones ; Mr. Goodyear makes them lotus-buds ; 

 Dr. Tylor makes them male-inflorescence of the date tree ; Dr. Birdwood 

 makes them bunches of dates, highly conventionalized ; and I make them 

 bunches of grapes. 



^ 'Five Great Monarchies, ' vol. i, p. 518. 



