Palace, wall relief panel showing protection spirit performing a ritual: a <i>spath</i>, a "cone with spores" is used to seed the Assyrian Tree of Life, c. 875-860 BC. Palace of Assurnasipal II, Nimrud.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:McLeod" title="User:McLeod">McLeod</a> (self-made @ National Museum, Copenhagen)