New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-09-12
Babylon,


From The twenty-five gates in each side OF
the great square, went twenty-five streets IN
straight lines to the gates, so that the whole
number of streets was fifty, each fifteen miles,
whereof twenty-five went one way and
twenty-five the other, directly crossing each
other at right angles. Besides these, there
were four half streets, which had houses on
each side, and the wall on the other. These
went around the four sides of the city, next
the walls. and each of them was two hundred
feet broad; the rest were about one hundred
and fifty. BY these streets thus crossing
each other, the whole city was divided into
six hundred and seventy-six squares, each OF
which was two miles in circumference. Round
these squares, on every side toward the
street, stood the houses, which were not con-
tguous, but had void spaces between them,
ali built three or four stories high, and beau
tiful with all manner of ornaments toward
the streets. The space within the middle OF
each square was employed for yards, gardens,
and other such uses, so that Babylon was
greater in appearance than in reality; nearly
0ne-half of the city being used for gardens
and other cultivated lands. A branch of the
Euphrates ran across the city, from North
to South. On each side of the river was a
quay, and a high wall built of bricks and
bltumen, of the same thickness of the wall
that went round the city. In these walls,
over against each street that led to the city,
were gates of brass, open all the daytime
and closed at night, for the convenience OF
the inhabitants who crossed the river in
boats, before the building of the bridge. The
bridge was not inferior to any of the other
buildings in beauty and magnifcence. 1t
was furlong in length, and built with Won
derful art. TO supply the defect of a found
alton in the bottom of the river, which was
sandy, the arches were made with huge
stones fastened together with chains Of iron
and melted lead. Before building the bridge
the wOrkmen turned the course of the river,
leaving the channel dry, digging on the west
of Babylon prodigious artificial lake, forty
miles square, one hundred and sixty in Cir
conference, and thirty-five feet deep, to pre-
vent the inundation of the Euphrates from
OvertiOwing the city, making two canals above
the town some considerable distance, and
raising immense banks on each side Of the
river. Nitocris, the daughter-in-law of Neb-
ucadnezZer, built the two gates, the bridge,
and the lake. At the end of the bridge were
two palaces, which had communication with
each other by a vault, built under the chan
mel of the river, at the time of its being dry.
The old palace, which stood on each side of
the river, was three miles in compass. The
new palace was on the west side of the river,
and was seven miles in compass. 1t was
surrounded with three walls, one within an
other, with considerable space between them.
These walls, as also those of the other pal
aces, were embellished with great variety
of sculptures, representing all kinds of ami
mails, to the life. Among the rest was a
curious hunting piece, in which Semiramis,
on horseback, was throwing her javeln at a
leopard, and her husband, King Minus,
pierced lion. in this last palace were the
hanging gardens, so celebrated among the
Greeks. Amytis, the wife of Nebuchad-
nezzer, having been born in Media, for she
was a daughter of King Astyages, being
much delighted with the mountains and for
ests of that country, ACKNOWLEDGMENT caused
the hanging gardens to be built to please her.
They contained square of four hundred feet
on every side, and were carried up in the
manner of terraces, one above another, till
the height equalled that of the walls of the
city. The ascent was from terrace to terrace,
by stairs ten feet wide. The whole pile was
sustained by vast arches raised upon other
arches, one above another, and strengthened
by a wall, surrounding it on every side, of
twenty-five feet in thickness. On the top of
the arches were first laid large, flat stones,
sixteen feet long and four broad over these
was layer of reeds, mixed with great
quantity of bitumen, upon which were two
IoNS vi DiiChS~ CiOSciy CtIleutcu tOgeCneT
with plaster. The whole was covered with
thick sheets of lead, upon which was laid the
mould of the garden. All this foorage was
contrived to keep the moisture of the mould
from running away through the arches. The
earth laid thereon was so deep that the
greatest trees might take root in it; and with
such the terrace was covered, as well as with
other plants and flowers that were proper to
adorn pleasure garden. In the upper ter
race there was an engine, or kind of pump,
by which water was drawn out of the river,
and from this the whole garden was watered.
In the spaces between the several arches.
upon which this entire structure rested, were
large and magnificent apartments, that were
very light and had the advantage of beau
tiful prospect. Another of the great works
OF Babylon was the temple of Bclus, which
stood near the old palace. 1t was most re-
markable for prodigious tower that stood
in the middle Fit. AT the foundation it was
square of half a mile in the whole compass.
and furlOng in height. 1t consisted of
eight towers, built one above another de-
crcasing regularly to the top, for which rea-
son Strabo calls the other pyramid. 1t is
not only asserted, but proved, that this tower
must have exceeded the greatest of the pyra-
mids in height.