Assyrians out there? Is the Assyrian sacred tree based on any actual plant?

Question

In the Assyrian bas reliefs we see the king and others like winged genii (ie like angels) around the sacred tree. This is a very complex stylised tree with flowers, but my question is: Is it completely imaginary, or is it based on any actual flowering tree that can or could be found in the area of Assyria or Northern Iraq?

Answer 1

The Assyrian concept of God, which defined Assur (Ashur) as aspects or attributes encoded in the Assyrian sacred tree, meditation on which, certainly played an important part in the cult of Ishtar (Mother Goddess).

The trunk of the tree, is often represented as a stylized date palm standing on a rock, symbolized Ishtar as the power bringing the gap between heaven (the crown of the tree) and the material world (the base of the tree). The union of the mystic numbers of the crown (1) and the base (14) equals the mystic number of Ishtar (15).

We call them sacred trees because kings, priests, and genie of various sorts are shown standing or kneeling before such trees in an attitude of adoration. Judging from the ancient Assyrian monuments, the Assyrians appear to have a variety of these trees, some thing like four or five: -
The Date-tree.
The Vine.
The Pomegranate-tree.
The Fir-tree; and not improbably.
The oak.


The tree, which seems to have been most revered in Assyrian times, was the date palm; 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 we should always consider Babylon and Assyria as one region in studying their history. The vine is so frequently and unmistakably represented on the Assyrian Monuments that in those days it must have been growing everywhere like a weed. This plant, with its slender stem, must have after been seen climbing up date trees, and festooning itself among them. Thus the two trees are seen most often used on the Assyrian tree of life are date trees and vine, date tree as seen above and vine tree as seen below are probably a pictorial conventional representation_ a symbol of FOOD and DRINK of the people!

Here we must note that the ancient Akkadian (the Assyrian ancestors) name of 'vine' applied equally by misuse to the 'wine' (gen-tin), is a compound, which, properly speaking, means ‘tree of life’; or more exactly ‘wood of life’ from the two well known words gis, ges wood (as we Assyrians still call wood; gessa or qesa), and tin, life.

A third form of sacred tree is the pomegranate tree, shown above decorated with horns, reduced in this case to a conventional symbol at the top and bottom of the columnar stem.
All the sacred trees of the Assyrian monuments and cylinders appear to be the commonest trees of the land, such as they must have utilized every day, either for their fruits, their wood, or other qualities. This one can’t be mistaken for anything but a pomegranate tree. It is indigenous in those regions.


Fir-tree the fourth form of Assyrian sacred tree,(there is a good example in the Louvre). It is in front of this that Sargon is standing, with a bunch of pomegranates in one hand. Why was it raised to the rank of a sacred tree? One; it is one of the most useful trees (it grows quickly, and some varieties produce durable timber), Second reason; it is stated that certain hymens mention that the fir-cone had imprinted within it the name of god, and therefore was placed in the hands of sick persons, as a sort of charm that would cure their ailments.

Thus the Assyrian "Sacred Tree," may be an highly stylized Date-Palm with a stylized border of vines about it? The image is seen at the Assyrian palace at Nimroud (ancient Calah of the Bible).

Perhaps this is a possible prototype behind the story in Genesis' - "Tree of Life" - in the Garden of Eden? Certainly other parts of the book of Gensis were copied from much older stories like the Gilamesh epic.

Palmtrees decorated the Temple of Solomon's walls in association with Cherubim (1 Kings 6:32). Eden's Tree of Life was guarded by Cherubim too.

Answer 2

I've already got some fruit trees planted here. Cherries and plumbs. The birds get ALL of the cherries....bummer. The plumbs produce every other year, and are very tastey. I nearly cried when my new neighbor moved in next door, and ran out first thing with a chainsaw, and cut down 90% of their apple tree orchard the former owners had planted. Being in such a rotten plant zone is the only thing that stops me. I'm in plant zone 4, borderline 3. In other words, we have loooong, very coooold winters. There's just a ton of stuff that will not grow here. I've only been here three years, so I'm still learning. By the way, along with the perminant type plantings/gardens that fruit and nut trees are, people should not forget rubarb, artichockes, asparagas, many herbs, berry bushes and plants, and a smattering of other perminant type garden plants. ~Garnet Homesteading/Farming over 20 years