234 
these stones she laid during the day square planks of timber, 
on which the Babylonians might pass over ; but at night 
these planks were removed, to prevent people from coming by 
night and robbing one another. When the hollow that was 
dry had become a lake filled by the river, and the bridge was 
finished, she brought back the river to its ancient channel 
from the lake. And thus, the excavations having been turned 
into a marsh, appeared to answer the purpose for which it was 
made, and a bridge was built for the use of the inhabitants.”* 
At Birs Nimroud I was fortunate enough to discover the 
palace where Nabonidus was supposed to have been residing 
when Cyrus captured Babylon. It is on the same mound 
upon which the supposed Tower of Babel, or Belus, is built. It 
contained about eighty chambers and halls, but I found nothiug 
in them, excepting, in four rooms, some remains of Babylonian 
antiquity, proving that the building was erected by Nebu- 
chadnezzar. In the first hall opened were found broken 
pillars, capitals, and fragments of enamelled bricks, evidently 
belonging to the embellishments of the room, with cedar 
wood, which are now in the British Museum. 
Soon after that I had to return to England, and left the 
overseers to go on with the work, but on going back there 
after some months, I found that they had nearly finished 
excavating the whole palace. As soon as I set my foot on 
the mound, a workman came running to inform me that they 
had just found some metal object, ornamented on the top, 
at the entrance of one of the rooms. On going to examine it, 
I found it placed on the threshold of what seemed to be the 
grand entrance to the temple. It is quite certain that this 
object had not been made originally for this purpose, and it 
must have been placed here in after-time. From its leugth 
and shape it looked as if it had been originally a leaf of a 
bronze gate, like those mentioned by Herodotus. t It must 
have been formerly double the length it is at present ; 
and for the purpose of fitting it in this position, or for the 
sake of the value of the metal, those who placed it there had 
it cut in two, and disposed of the other half. Some gentlemen, 
however, think that it was originally a doorstep, and the cut 
at the end served as a socket ; while others think it might 
* Clio, i. 186. 
f Book i., chap. 181. It may he that this kind of gate was alluded to in 
Isaiah xlv., where it was prophesied, “ Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, 
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden to subdue nations before him, and 
I will loose the loins of kings to open before him the two-leaved gates, and 
the gates shall not be shut.” 
