Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-23

Though containing two million
inhabitants, Babylon was not
closely built up like London or
Paris, but the houses OF the city
were much scattered, and parts Of
the town had n semi-suburiAn ~
pect. Great areas of pasture land
also were included within the walls,
so that the city could well-nigh sup
port its inhabitants by the product
OF its own rich acres. When Cyrus,
King of Persia, laid siege to the
city, in the sixth century before
Christ, Babylon was provisioned
for twenty years, and could un-
doubtedly have held out for an in
definite period mad it not been for
the careiessness or treachery tina.
gave the foe an entrance.
The most extraordinary architec-
tural work Of Babylon before its fail
was the Changing Gardens, " which
King Northumberland erected for
his wife, Amytis. Southern Syria
Is u region Of most Internal heat In
summer, inasmuch as it is a level
plain and the climate semi-tropical.
And thus it was that Nebuchaduez.
ger undertook the task Of building
for his royal bride a 500. Of terraceu
garden far above the level of the
earth. Ii was an artificial noun
tain 800 feet in height, and reared
with terraces resting upon columns,
the whole bound together by wall
twenty-five feet thick. On the
uppermost terrace were reservoirs
for irrigation, supplied with river
water by an engine worked by
slaves. The terraces, thus raised
upon columns, were overllid with
earth to a depth sufii-
Gent TO support the largest
trees, AMI artificial streams, with
fish in them, flowed along the ter.
races, descending from one to an.
other in miniature cataracts.
When Cyrus sat down before the
city to besiege it the Babylonian.
laughed at him. They hat
provisions enough to last then
twenty years, and they knew thai
all the strength Of the Persian army
Gould never get through their i'm
pregnab!e walls. Unhappily thu
Babylonians had weakness fol
going on periodical sprees. On til,
night Of the capture King Beishaz
Gar was personally conducting /.
most gigantic jamboree, in which
the whole metropolis was joining
with enthusiasm. The guards wer'
careless. and Cyrus took the oppor
unity ~ drain oil the Euphrate.
into the distant artificial lake. Thei
ne marched his soldiers into thu
city along the bed Of the stream
and, finding the river gates open
proceeded to the very door Of In,
palace, where an orgy was progress
ing. BeIShazZar came forward
word in hand, and was slain.
By way OF parenthesis, few
curious little facts about Babylon
are worth mentioning. There wa
me large tribe among the people
which gave TO its women authority
the men looking to them for control
Is wives ordinarily look to theiI
| husbands. The rate of interest
charged for money. as shown by
tables dug up, was three, four, and
five per cent. Frequent memoranda
nave been discovered In clay, as to
full prices and cut prices. A simple
system of divorce was provided. II
either party did not Ike one'g mate,
the match eoul,i be declared
of at any time by returning
the purchase money, aud cancel
ing the marriage contract. There
were nophysicians in Babylon, but
the sick were brought or came to the
market place where their fellow cit.
liens were obliged by law 10 in.
| spect them and TO give advice, in
case they had ever suffered similar
| troubles.
Cyrus did not destroy Babylon
after he captured the city. But the
town ceasing TO be the abode Of do
minion, shrunk. and about 900 L.
c., large part Of its inhabitants
migrated and much of its enclosed
territory was plowed up. What IT,
mains OF the city Is found today in
the shape OF enormous mounds
Shich arehnologist. are fond of
digging into,-Es.