- Maurizio Sannibale –
electrum in the foundation deposit at Ephesus (seventh century bc), the Phoenician-
Punic jewelry in Sardinia and Spain, as well as in the Orientalizing Etruscan jewels and
artifacts, where one encounters a Hathor-head or a palmette (Fig. 6.15). With good
evidence we could suppose that these are not simple decorative motifs, as the single palm
tree is rather a compendium of the Sacred Tree or Tree of Life, as seen in the Assyrian
reliefs of the north-west Palace of Nimrud and at Nineveh. The fusion of the palm branch
with the lotus fl ower seems highly signifi cant, especially when it is the attribute of a
female character with Hathor-locks (Fig. 6.16).
In the cosmogony of ancient Egypt, the lotus fl ower is the fi rst element to rise from
the primordial waters, from which starts the creation of the world following the birth
of the sun. It symbolizes the regenerative power of life with cosmic and universal value
as regards the gods, kings and the whole living universe. The ceremonial act of offering
Figure 6.15 Gold appliqué plaque: Hathor-head between “cup-spirals.” Cerveteri, Regolini-Galassi
Tomb. Museo Gregoriano Etrusco. Photo © Musei Vaticani.Figure 6.16 Bracelet in gold decorated in repoussé and granulation. Above: “Mistress of the Animals”
and “Hero who kills a Lion.” Below: Hathoric-fi gures with palm branch and lotus fl ower. Cerveteri,
Regolini-Galassi Tomb. Museo Gregoriano Etrusco 20562. Photo © Musei Vaticani.