ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 



Ill 



The ornaments on Cypriote vases, fig. 49, Mr. Good- 

 year considers lotus ornaments, but I think the ligatures 

 betray them into Assyrian 'luck-horns,' and in fact they 

 appear to be modified 'fleur-de-lys.' 



On p. 118 Mr. Goodyear says: 

 " The traditional and constant com- 

 binations of the palmette with the 

 lotus bud and lotus flower (figs. 61, yi, 

 74, y6, yy, 82, 83, 86, 88) are not only 

 significant as furnishing an argument 

 drawn from association. They also 

 imply, on the supposition that they 

 represent a palm motive, that realistic 

 and normal palms should be at least 

 as frequent as normal and realistic 

 lotuses, whereas they are of the greatest rarity, and, 

 roughly speaking, almost unknown on the surviving 

 ancient monuments, aszc/e frovi Assyrian scenery back- 

 ground." (The italics are mine.) 



One would like to ask — what does all this mean ? 

 Is it not enough that the background of many Assyrian 

 sculptures should be filled with very realistic date palms ?^ 

 — real offsets at base of the stem, real stems with 

 attached triangular leaf-bases, real bunches of dates, 

 real leaves, real pinnae, many of which characters are 



Fig. 49. — Ornaments 

 from Cypriote vases, 

 New York Manu- 

 scripts (pi. 21, figs. 

 8 and lo, ' Grammar 

 of tlie Lotus '). 



' See Herodotus' account of the date palm in Babylonia, page 9 of this 

 Flora. 



