The king himself stands and worships in close proximity to the holy tree; with his own hand he pours libations; and it is not unlikely that he was entitled with his own arm to sacrifice victims.
But we can scarcely suppose that the people had these privileges.
Sacerdotal ideas have prevailed in almost all Oriental monarchies, and it is notorious that they had a strong hold upon the neighboring and nearly connected kingdom of Babylon.

The Assyrians generally, it is probable, approached the gods through their priests; and it would seem to be these priests who are represented upon the cylinders as introducing worshippers to the gods, dressed themselves in long robes, and with a curious mitre upon their heads.

The worshipper seldom comes empty-handed.

He carries commonly in his arms an antelope or young goat, which we may presume to be an offering intended to propitiate the deity.
[PLATE CXLIV., Fig.

2.] It is remarkable that the priests in the sculptures are generally, if not invariably, beardless.