Sacred Trees and Enclosed Gardens j 115115 115
which provide food, drink, shade, and shelter, were also associated with goddesses, a tradi-
tion probably dating to Neolithic times.
Many trees were considered sacred by the Egyptians. The date palm was revered through-
out the region for its sweet fruit and its many other uses, and, as noted earlier, it was asso-
ciated with the goddess Hathor in some Egyptian cities. The sycamore fig with its broad,
spreading trunk, was worshipped for its shade, fruit, and wood. Architectural elements made
of sycamore wood dating to the Old Kingdom more than 4000 years ago still survive. In
fact, the sycamore tree was the only native Egyptian tree that was large enough and strong
enough to be useful as lumber. Other sacred trees include acacia, persea, cedar, and willow.
All of these sacred trees were associated with goddesses in the different cities of Egypt.
The sycamore fig has been identified with all three of the major Egyptian god-
desses: Hathor, Isis, and Nut. Hathor, in particular, was known as “Lady of the Sycamore.”
In the Book of the Dead, the Sycamore deity is identified as Hathor or Nut. In chapter 59 of
the Book of the Dead, called “The Chapter of Snuffing the Air, and of Having Dominion
over the Waters in the Underworld,” Nut is described as follows:Hail, thou sycamore tree of the goddess Nut! Grant thou to me of the water and of
the air which dwell in thee. I embrace the throne which is in Unnu (Hermopolis), and
I watch and guard the egg of Nekek- ur, the Great Cackler. It groweth, I grow; it liveth,
I live; it snuffeth the air, I snuff the air, I the Osiris Ani, in triumph.^71Depictions of sacred trees in Egyptian funerary art leaves no doubt that Egyptians
regarded the goddesses and trees as materially and spiritually equivalent. Tableaus fre-
quently portrayed the deceased receiving nourishment and libations from a tree/ goddess
chimera. For example, the illustration accompanying chapter 59 in the Book of the Dead,
referred to earlier, shows the deceased bending over a pool before a sycamore tree, from
which the goddess emerges with her arms extended, offering food and drink (Figure 5.10A).
Similar images showing tree goddesses pouring libations were often painted onto Shabti
boxes,^72 as shown in Figures 5.10B– D. In these images, the goddess seems to be physically
continuous with the fruit tree.
Taken to its logical extreme, the goddess is sometimes represented as arms extending
from a tree, bearing trays of food and libation vessels (Figure 5.11A). Another image shows
two fruit- bearing sacred trees, date palm and sycamore fig, superimposed. Two tree god-
desses emerge from the crowns presenting food and drink to the deceased (Figure 5.11B).
The equivalency between the tree and the goddess is even more pronounced in the
examples shown in Figure 5.12. In Figure 5.12A, the goddess is represented only by a
pair of arms offering libation from what may be a poplar tree. One of the most striking
images of a tree goddess was found in the burial chamber of Thuthmose III in Thebes.
Here, Thuthmose is shown suckling from the extended breast of Isis, which emerges
from a branch as if it were fruit. An arm extending from a branch directs the breast into
Thuthmose’s eager mouth.
Women of ancient Egypt were also associated with plants in their daily lives. Although
men did the heavy work of plow agriculture, women helped with the sowing and harvesting
of wheat, collected and processed flowers for perfume, and were primarily responsible for
textiles. The strong association between women and flowers is expressed in the hieroglyphic
symbol for “woman,” in which a woman is shown smelling a flower (Figure 5.13).^73