Relief from the palace of Tell Halaf (Northeastern Syria), dating back to the IX century B.C. The scene represents the typical motif of the “tree of life” flanked by two rampant goats or rams. In this case, too, the presence of the ovine animals recalls the image of the shepherd god Dumuzi, as well as the constellation Aries (the Ram), that this god represents, and that marked the beginning of spring and the flourishing of vegetation. The object is in the Vorderasiatisches Museum (Staatliche Museen), Berlin.

[Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VAM_-_Tell_Halaf_Orthostaten_2.jpg]