Chapter 2 The Tree of Life in Ancient Near Eastern Iconography
In: The Tree of Life
Author:
Amy L. Balogh
Amy L. Balogh
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Abstract
The “Tree of Life” or Sacred Tree is a multivalent image with layers of meaning accrued over time, and whose development as an iconographic motif is intimately connected to the history of the region. Examining the Sacred Tree as a consistent motif against the backdrop of ever-shifting contexts highlights the fluid nature of its symbolism across Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Egypt. Through the third and second millennia BCE, the image is a symbol of the nurturing aspects of the divine, primarily the mother-goddess. In the first millennium, the association with the mother-goddess remains while other associations are added, most notably the theme of kingship.