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(Plialeg. p. I. 1. i. c. 9.) to have been tlie famou? tower of 

 Babel." This tower was at its bafe a fquare of a furlong 

 on each fide, or half a mile in cornp.\fs, and coiifilled of 

 eight towers, as they appeared to be, built one above the 

 other; the height of each being 75 feet, and that of the 

 whole 6oo feet. The afcent to its top was by flairs on the 

 ontfide, formed by a floping line from the bottom to the 

 top eight times round it, fo as to exhit)it the appearance of 

 eight towers. As thefe compartments or (lories had many- 

 rooms with arched roofs fupported by pillars, they made 

 paits of the temple, when the tower became confecrated to 

 idolatrous purpofcs. The uppermoft ftory was the molt 

 facred, and the mofl appropriate to the ufes of devotion. 

 Over the whole of the top of the tower there was, it is 

 faid, an obfcrvatory (Diod. Sic. 1. ii.), by the advantage of 

 which the Babylonians extended their flcill in aftronomy be- 

 yond other nations. For when Alexander took Babylon, 

 CalliiUicnes, the philofopher, who accompanied him thither, 

 found they had aftronomical obfervations for 1903 years 

 from that time, which carried up the account as high as the 

 115th year after the flood, or within 15 years after the 

 tower of Babel was built, or to the year B.C. 2334. Till 

 the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the temple of Belus contained 

 only this tower, the rooms of which ferved all the occafions 

 of its idolatrous worfhip. But he enlarged it by crcfting 

 edifices round it in a fquare of two furlongs on every fide, 

 and a mile in circumference, exceeding the fquare at the 

 temple of Jerufalcm by 1800 feet. The whole of thefe 

 buildings was inclofed by a wail, which is computed to have 

 been two miles and a half in circumference. In this wall 

 were feveral gates of folid brafs, fuppofed to have been 

 formed out of the brazen fea, brazen pillars, and other vef- 

 fels and ornaments, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought to 

 Babylon from Jerufalem ; for he is faid to have dedicated in 

 this temple the fpoils of that expedition. Dan. i. 2. 2 Chron. 

 xxxvi. 7. In the fame place were feveral images or idols of 

 iriaiTy gold ; one of them, which was a ftatue of Belus, in an 

 credt pofturc, forty feet high, crowning the fummit, and 

 veiling on a pedeftal of fifty feet in height. As this is faid 

 to have weighed 1000 Babylonian talents, it is computed to 

 have been worth three millions and a half of our money. 

 According to Diodorus Siculue (ubi fupra), the weight of 

 the ftatues and decorations amounted to five thoufand and 

 odd talents in gold, and their value has been eftimated at 

 above twenty-one millions of our money ; and the hke fum 

 is allowed for the treafure, utenfils, and ornaments. 



On the eafl fide of the river Hood the old palace of the 

 kin^s of Babylon, four miles in circuit.; and oppofite to it, 

 on the other fide of the river, was the new palace built by 

 Nebuchadnezzar, which was eight miles in circumference. 



For an account of the hanging gardens of Babylon, fee 

 Pensiles Horti. The other works afcribed to Nebu- 

 chadnezzar, by Beiofus and Abydenus, were the banks of 

 the river, the artificial canals, and the completion of the 

 artificial lake, faid to have been funk by Semiramis. The 

 canals were cut out on the eail fide of the Euphrates, 

 ill order to convey the waters of the river, when it over- 

 flowed its banks, into the Tigris, before they reached Ba- 

 bylon. The chief of thefe was the Naarmalcha. 



The lake was on the weft fide of Babylon, and, according 

 to the lowed computation, 40 miles fquare, 160 in compafs, 

 and 35 feet deep as Herodotus fays, and 75 according to 

 Meo-althenes. It was dug to receive the waters of the 

 river, while the banks were building on each fide of it ; but 

 the lake, and the canal that led to it, were afterwards pre- 

 ferved, and found ufeful to prevent inundations, and to ferve 

 99 a refervojr, from which water was occafionally let out by 



I 



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fluioes for improving the land. The banks were conftrufted 

 of bricks and bitumen, on both fidts ot the river, to keep it 

 within its channel, and were extended through and beyond 

 the city, occupying an interval of twenty miles. Oppofite 

 to each ftreet, on either fide of the river, was a brazen gate 

 in the wall, with (lairs leading down from it to the river; 

 which gates were open in the day, and fliut in the night. 



All thefe works are attributed by Berofus, MegalUienes, 

 and Abydtnus, to Nebuchadnezzar; but Herodotus fays, 

 that the bridge, the banks, and the lake, were the work of a 

 queen who reigned after him, called Nitocris, who probably 

 finifhed what Nebuchadnezzar had begun and left impcrfedt. 



Babylon fubfifted with fingular reputation, and was for a 

 long time confidered as one of tlie wonders of theeaft. At 

 length Cyrus, having fubdued the feveral nations that inha- 

 bited the great continent from the iEgean fea to the 

 Euphrates, and likewife Syria and Arabia, entered AfTyria, 

 and dircfted his march towards Babylon. Nabonadius, 

 Labynitus, or Belfliazzar, who then reigned at Babylon, 

 hearing that he was advancing to his metropolis, marched 

 out to give him battle; but being put to flight, he returned 

 into the city, where he was clofely befieged by Cyrus. But 

 the capture of a place fo ftrong, and furnifhed with all kinds 

 of provifions for twenty years, was no eafy enterprifc. De- 

 fpairing of fucceeding againll it by ftorm, he drew round it a 

 line of circumvallation, with a large and deep ditch, to inter- 

 cept its communication with the country. He alfo divided his 

 army into twelve bodies, each being appointed to guard the 

 trenches for a month ; but the befieged, triumphing in the 

 height of their walls, and the amplitude of their (lores, 

 infulted Cyrus fiom the ramparts, and feemcd to defy all his 

 efforts. Cyrus, having fpent two years before Babylon 

 without making any impieflion, adopted the following ftra- 

 tagem, which proved fuccefsful. Informed that a great 

 annual folemnity was to be kept in the city, and that the 

 Babylonians were accullomed, on this occafion, to fpend the 

 whole night in drinking and debauchery, he thought this a 

 proper time for fnrprifing them. Accordingly he fent a 

 ftrong detachment to the head of the canal leading to the 

 great lake, already defcribed, with orders, at an appointed 

 time, to break down the bank which Itparated between the 

 lake and the canal, and to turn the whole current of the 

 river into the lake. At the fame time he appointed one 

 body of troops to occupy the place where the river entered 

 into the city, and another to (lalion themfelves where it came 

 out; and he ordered them to march in by the bed of the 

 river, which was two (ladia broad, as foon as they (liould 

 find it fordable. Towards the evening, he opened the head 

 of the trenches on both fides of the river above the city, that 

 the water might difcharge itfclf into them, and by thefe 

 means, and the breaking down of the great dam, the river 

 was foon drained.. Then the two bodies of troops above- 

 mentioned entered the channel, according to the inilrudlions 

 which they had received; and advancing towards the city, 

 they found the gates left open, in confequence of the riot 

 and diforder of the night, and penetrated into the city with- 

 out oppofition. Meeting at the palace, according to their 

 previous agreement, they furprifed the guards, and cut 

 them in pieces. Thofe who were in the palace, opening the 

 gates to know the caufe of the confufion, made way for the 

 Perfians to rufli in; and thus they took pofleflion of the 

 palace, and Jiilled the king, who with his fword in his hand 

 came out to meet them. The king being killed, and thofe 

 who were about him being put to flight, the reft fubmitted, 

 and the Medes and Perfians became mafters of the place ; 

 B.C. 538. The reduftion of Babylon put an end to the 

 Babylonian empire, and finally fulfilled, in the rame and cha- 



rad\er 



