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agree that the central trunk and apical palmette represents a date palm, and it has been sug-

gested that the surrounding smaller palmettes could represent a date palm orchard derived

from the vegetative offshoots of the mother trunk. The King is shown on either side of the

tree, pointing his finger to the sacred tree as if directing the winged sun (emblematic of the

sun- god Shamash) to shine on the tree.

The four- winged deities (only two wings are visible in profile view) behind the two

images of the king are usually referred to as “genii.”^75 They appear to be sanctifying the king

by applying an object resembling a pine cone to his hair. According to Mallowan, two late

Assyrian texts from Ashur provide clues regarding the functions of the bucket and cone

borne by the “genii”:

In the Assur texts the bucket carried by certain figures is called banduddû, which

appears in Akkadian texts as “ritual bucket.” The other object described in the texts

as carried by these figures is called mullilu. This word simply means “purifier,” which

tells us nothing about its appearance, but it may be the cone- shaped object carried by

the “genii.”^76

The current consensus of opinion is that the objects known as mullilu were, as their

appearance suggests, pine or cedar cones, which functioned as ancient “purifiers” in Neo-

Assyria.^77 The bucket, according to this interpretation, was probably filled with “holy water”

of some sort. However, as will be discussed in the next section, an alternative interpretation

of the “cone” has been proposed, one that ties it directly to date palms.

Although early illustrations of sacred tree motifs from southern Mesopotamia were typi-

cally date palms, often in association with the goddess Inanna/ Ishtar, the Neo- Assyrian

Figure 5.14 Alabaster relief of King Ashurnasirpal II (883– 859 bce) and the Sacred Tree, from

the North- West Palace at Nimrud (Kalkhu). Two winged genii carrying cones and buckets stand

behind and “purify” the king.

From the British Museum, London.