Editing Tree of life (section)

===Ancient Mesopotamia===
[[File:Rilievi in alabastro da palazzo di ashurnasirpal II a nimrud, albero sacro, 883-859 ac ca. 01.JPG|thumb|upright|Assyrian tree of life, from [[Nimrud]] panels]]
The [[Assyria]]n tree of life was represented by a series of nodes and crisscrossing lines. It was apparently an important religious symbol, often attended to in [[Assyrian palace reliefs]] by human or eagle-headed [[winged genie]]s, or the King, and blessed or fertilized with [[bucket and cone]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2022-03-11 |title=Ancient Mesopotamian beliefs: The Tree of Life |url=https://syriacpress.com/blog/2022/03/11/tree-of-life/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Syriac Press |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Assyriology|Assyriologists]] have not reached consensus as to the meaning of this symbol. The name "Tree of Life" has been attributed to it by modern scholarship; it is not used in the Assyrian sources. In fact, no textual evidence pertaining to the symbol is known to exist.
[[File:Urartu Helmet Fragment 2~.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Urartu|Urartian]] tree of life]]

The ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]'' is a similar quest for immortality. In [[Babylonian religion]], [[Etana]], the [[Kish (Sumer)|King of Kish]], searched for a 'plant of birth' to provide him with a son. This has a solid provenance of antiquity, being found in [[cylinder seal]]s from the [[Akkadian Empire]] (2390–2249 [[Common Era|BCE]]).

The tree of life appears in [[Asherah]] iconography, particularly on the [[Lachish]] ewer and Pithos A from [[Kuntillet Ajrud]], where it is flanked by ibexes.<ref>Taylor, Joan E. “The Asherah, the Menorah, and the Sacred Tree.” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 1995</ref><ref>Hestrin, Ruth. “The Lachish Ewer and the ‘Asherah.” Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 37, no. 4, 1987, pp. 212–223. Israel Exploration Society.</ref> The tree’s design, with buds, flowers, and possibly [[almond]] drupes, resembles the menorah, which is thought to represent a stylized [[almond tree]] in Exodus 25:31-36 <ref>Yarden, L. The Tree of Light: A Study of the Menorah. E&W Library, 1971.</ref> This suggests a continuation of Asherah’s cultic representation in the temple.<ref>Stager, Lawrence E. “Jerusalem and the Garden of Eden.” Eretz-Israel 1999.</ref> Scholars have explored these connections, noting parallels between sacred trees, Asherah, and the menorah.<ref>Hestrin, Ruth. “The Lachish Ewer and the ‘Asherah.” Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 37, no. 4, 1987, pp. 212–223. Israel Exploration Society.</ref><ref>Smith, Mark S. The Early History of God. Eerdmans, 2002.</ref>

====Urartu====
In [[Urartu]] in the [[Armenian highlands]], the tree of life was a religious symbol and was drawn on walls of fortresses and carved on the armor of warriors. The branches of the tree were equally divided on the right and left sides of the stem, with each branch having one leaf, and one leaf on the apex of the tree. Servants stood on each side of the tree with one of their hands up as if they are taking care of the tree.