Sacred Trees and Enclosed Gardens j 101101 101
woody prophylls and release their pollen while in an upright orientation. The pendant may
depict the orientation of the male rachillae when it is hung in the female tree. This interpre-
tation also explains why the male flowers are unopened. Male date flowers shed their pollen
before anthesis (flower opening), and if the gardener waits until the corolla opens before
hanging the rachillae in the female palm, most of the pollen will be immediately lost to
wind or insects. The male flowers must be hung prior to anthesis, so that all the pollen will
be released near the opened female inflorescence.Date Palms and Gender in Mesopotamia
Queen Puabi’s pendants are rare examples of the juxtaposition of male and female date
flowers in Mesopotamian art, but they are not unique. Another striking example— an
inscribed plaque— was found in the Temple of Inanna in the city of Nippur (Figure 5.7).
The plaque dates to the latter part of the Early Dynasty period, around 2600 bce. The
upper register depicts a banquet scene in which a seated man (Figure 5.7, left) and a seated
woman (right) are each being served by attendants. A musician facing the woman is play-
ing an eight- stringed harp whose sounding box is shaped like a cow. Behind the harpist
is an amphora held in a wooden holder, probably containing wine. The man and womanFigure 5.7 Inscribed plaque from the Inanna Temple, Nippur. Left arrow points to the male date
inflorescence; the right arrow indicates the female inflorescence.
From Hansen, D. P. (1963), New votive plaques from Nippur. Near Eastern Studies 22:145– 166, plate VI.