140 



FLORA OF THE 



We meet with the open hand as an emblem of some- 

 thing on the Assyrian cylinders and other symbols, 

 which may be meant for modifications of the open 

 hand, or the hand may possibly have been used as 

 a modification of some of them. 



This fixing of horns on trees, and other places, must 

 have been a very common practice in Assyrian times. 

 We find artists in those days introducing them as 

 decorative motives in various ways, both as horns and 

 as modifications of horns. We not only 

 see this motive symmetrically used on 

 the stem of their sacred trees, but we 

 meet with it as a decorative termination 

 of the poles of the royal tents, as shown 

 in figs. 66 and 6y. 



Fig. 66. — Top of Royal Pavilion 

 pole, pi. 30, Layard's ' Monu- 

 ments,' ist series. 



Fig. 67. — Pole of Tabernacle 

 from the Balawat Gates, Brit. 

 Museum, Perrot and Chipiez, 

 ' History of Art in Chaldea 

 and Assyria.' 



An object constantly 'en evidence,' as I assume it to 



