ASSYRIAN MONUMENTS. 



155 





Fig. 82. — Horned figure 

 pointing to a date tree ; 

 from pi. 16, fig. 4. Lajard's 

 ' Culte de Mithra.' 



the Prince of Wales' feathers, is decorated on its upper 

 rim with ' fleur-de-lys,' or horn-emblems,^ so that when 

 the king puts on a crown thus 

 decorated, he only becomes a 

 civilized imitation of the notable 

 figure we meet with on many 

 of the Assyrian cylinders, shown 

 in fig. 82 ! 



In this case the figure \s pointing 

 to a date tree. In fig. 81 the 



euibleui of a date tree is held in the hand. From this, 

 in all probability, as I hope to indicate, royal sceptres 

 may have originated. 



The evolution of the so-called honeysuckle ornament, 

 and of the 'fleur-de-lys' and their various modifications, 

 both in Assyrian and Greek art and also in modern art, 

 is, in my opinion, clearly traceable to the custom of 

 tying horns on date trees and posts in ancient times 

 from some superstitious motive. How this notion may 

 have originated in Assyria I have tried to conjecture in 

 another place. Whatever the origin may be, there can 

 be little doubt that in the South of Europe, in Syria, 

 and other places, horns are noiv still used as charms 

 against the dreaded evil-eye. 



This is what Mr. Lane ^ says of the ' evil-eye ' in modern 



^ The other decoration on the crown is three-fourths of a St. John's cross, 

 which may be only a modification of the ' ankh ' or ' key ' of Hfe. 

 ■* ' Manners and customs of modern Egyptians.' 



