"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." [‎٣‎٦] (٤٧٤/٦٣)

XXXVI
INTRODUCTION.
had been seen by Pietro della Valle; besides which
he mentions having seen remains of walls built of
brick and cemented together with bitumen, some of
which were still standing in his time, and others
had fallen down. He then goes on to say, " Be
fore reaching Hillah, a hill is visible which has
been formed by the ruins of some great building.
It may be between two and three miles in cir-
«/
cumference. I brought away from it some square
bricks, on which were writing in certain unknown
characters. Opposite this hill, and distant two
leagues, another similar hill is visible, between two
reaches of the river at an equal distance." After
speaking of Hillah, and of a lake into which the
Euphrates enters near that town, he continues as
follows: "We went to the opposite hill, which I
have already mentioned: this one is in Arabia,
about an hour's distance from the Euphrates, and
the other is in Mesopotamia, at the same distance
from the Euphrates, and both exactly opposite to
each other. I found it very like the other, and I
brought away some square bricks, which had the
same impressions as the first-mentioned ones. I
remarked upon this hill a fragment of thick wall,
still standing on the summit, which, from a distance,
looked like a large tower. A similar mass was lying
overturned beside it; and the cement was so solid,
that it was quite impossible to detach one brick
whole. Both masses seemed as if they had been
vitrified, which made me conclude that these.ruins