"سرد لرحلة إلى موقع مدينة بابل في ١٨١١، طُبعت الآن لأول مرة: مذكرات على الأطلال؛ مع نقوش من الخرائط المدبئية للمؤلف: ملاحظات على طبوغرافية بابل القديمة،بقلم الرائد رينيل؛ في إشارة إلى المذكرات: مذكرات ثانية على الأطلال؛ في إشارة إلى ملاحظات الرائد رينيل: مع سرد لرحلة إلى برسبوليس: طُبعت الآن لأول مرة، مع كتابات مسمارية نسخت في برسبوليس ولم تُنشر من قبل: كتبها الراحل كلوديوس جيمس ريتش، المحترم، المقيم البريطاني السابق لشركة الهند الشرقية في بغداد. حررته أرملته." [‎٤] (٤٧٤/٣١)

iv
INTRODUCTION.
she said in her heart, " I am, and none else beside
me." #
In order to obtain any details concerning this
great first sample of man's mighty works, by which,
during so many ages since, he has been dazzled and
intoxicated, notwithstanding the warning thus early
o-iven him by his faithful Creator, we must have
recourse to other sources, which, however, are very
abundant, for Babylon appears to have been an
object of admiration to all the ancients. By some
of the ancient authors the building of Babylon is
attributed to Semiramis,f who probably embel
lished, or enlarged it, and hence got the name of
being its founder.
The principal works which rendered it so famous
were the walls of the city, the palaces, quays, and
the bridge, the lake, banks, and canals; the hang
ing gardens, and the Temple of Belus. The city
stood on a large and very fertile plain. The walls
were 87 feet thick, 350 in height, and in compass
480 furlongs, or 60 English miles. They were all
built of large bricks, cemented together with bitu
men. A trench, deep, wide, and full of water,
surrounded the city. " It is proper," says Hero
dotus, " that I should say in what manner the earth
removed from the trench was disposed of, and how
* Jeremiah, chaps. 1., li.
t Herodotus tells us that she raised an embankment worthy of
admiration through the plain, to confine the river Euphrates, which
heretofore often spread over that level country like a lake.