Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-16
AN OLD SEWER SYSTEM
HOW THE BABYLONIANS DRAIN
ED THEIR CITY.
Excavations in Oldest Cities of the
World Show Remarkable
Drainage Methods.
From the Scientific American.

FROM tne Sclentluc AMERICAN
1t Is generally supposed that it is only
modern man who has perfected a system
of drainage and sewerage to carry from his
house and city the overlooking rain water
and the fifth and garbage which accumu
late. In the excavation of Bismya. the
ancient Sumerian or pre-Babylonian city
which f1ourished $500 years ago. remark
able system of drainage. perfectly adapted
to the alluvial plain of the Mesopotamian
desert. has been discovered.
Babylonia is perfectly level. From Bag
dad to the Persian gulf there is not the
slightest elevation, save for the artificial
mounds or an occasional changing sand
drift In most places there Is crust of
hard clay upon the surface baked by the
hot sun of summer time, SO hard that 1t
resembles stone. Parts of the desert are
perfect for bicycle riding. Beneath the
crust. which at Bismya Is seldom more than
four feet in thickness, and in places entire
ly lacking, is loose, caying sand reaching to
unknown depth.
Drainage In such a country, without Stop
ing hills or streams Of running water.
might tax the ingenuity Of the modern
builder. In constructing a house the an
cient Sumerian of more than 5000 years
ago first dug hole into the sand to con-
siderable depth. At B.smya several In
stances were found where the shaft had
reached the depth Of fourteen meters be-
meath the foundation Of the house.
Terra Gotta Pipes.
From the bottom he built up a vertical
drain Of large, cylindrical, terra Gotta sec
lions, each of which is provided with
grooved afnges to receive the one above.
The sections of one drain were forty-eight
centimeters in diameter and sixty in height;
OF hers were larger and much shorter: the
thickness of the wall was 81 centimeters.
The tiles were punctured at intervals with
small holes about two centimeters in diam
eter The section at the top of the drain
was Semi-Spherlcal, fitting over 1t Like
cap and provided with opening to re-
ceive the water from above. Sand and pot
sherds were then filled in about the drain.
and it was ready for use. The water, pour
ing into it, was rapidly absorbed by the
sand al the bottom, and If there it became
clogged the water escaped through the
holes in the sides Of the tiles.
The temple at Bismya was provided with
several such drains. One palace was s.
covered with four: a large bath. resembling
modern Turkish bath, and provided with
a bitumen floor sloping to one corner.
ennptied it's waste water into one.
In clearing out the drains few of them,
whose openings had been exposed. were
filed with the drifting sand: others were
half full of the filth of long past ages: in
one at the temple we removed dozens OF
shallow terra Gotta drinking cups not un-
like large saucer in shape and size. Evil
IDENTIFY 1t received the waste water OF
drinking fountain, and the cups had acct
dentally dropped within.
Temple at Bismya.
In the Bismya Temple platform, con-
structed about 275o BIC, we uncovered a
horizontal drain of tiles, each Of which
was about meter long and fifteen cent?
meters in diameter. and not unlike In shape
those at present employed. 1t conducted
the rain water from the platform to one OF
the vertical drains. One tile was so we'll
constructed that for long time it served
as chimney for our house, until my
Turkish overseer suggested that it's dark
smoked end project from the battlements
of the house to convince the Arabs that
we were well fortified: thus 1t served as
gun until the close of the excavations.
In other parts of the temple more ele
mentary drains were employed to carry or
the surface water from the slightly inclined
platform. 1t consisted simply of groove
constructed of bricks or arranged by omit
ting the bricks In the floor; frequently the
groove was continued down over the YER
teal edge of the platform.
The Babylonians Of later period who
buried. instead of cremating their dead.
carefully provided their cemeteries with
drains. The graves were small, house
shaped structures entirely or partly above
ground, and whenever they were found
upon the sloping side of q mound they were
protected above by a breakwater. while
along the sides were square, open brick
drains. The result was that some of the
graves. although thousands of years Old
and constructed of unbaked clay. are still
in a perfect state of preservation.
To the student of architecture 1t may be
surprising to learn that the arch, until re-
Gently supposed to have been unknown to
the ancients. was frequently employed by
the pre-Babylonians of more than 5000
years ago. Such an arch, in a poor state of
preservation. was few years ago discov-
cred in the lowest stratum, beneath the
Babylonian city of Nippur. More recently
an arched drain was found beneath the cid
city of F'ara, which the Germans have cx-
cavated In central Babylonia. The city.
although one Of the earliest known, was
built upon an earlier ruin. and provided
with an arched drain constructed Of small
plano-coHvex bricks. II measures about
one meter In height, and has an equal
width.
While delving among the ruins of the
oldest cities of the world we are thus find
ing that at the time when we supposed
that man was primitive and savage he
provided his home and city with Improve.
ments' which we are inclined to call mod
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