'Narrative of a journey to the site of Babylon in 1811, now first published: memoir on the ruins; with engravings from the original sketches by the author: remarks on the topography of ancient Babylon, by Major Rennell; in reference to the memoir: second memoir on the ruins; in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon. East India Company at Bagdad. Edited by his widow.' [‎109] (197/474)

ANCIENT BABYLON.
109
extent of the remains of Babylon, at large :* and in
his account of the Nimroud Birs, or Tower of Nim-
rod, he presents a subject, which, in point of descrip
tion, is perfectly novel; although its name and
position had been long known, from the travels of
the celebrated M. Niebuhr.
But Mr. Rich, having entertained a suspicion that
the Tower of Nimrod was the representative of that
of Belus, appears to have given up the advantages of
* The details concerning those remains will be found in p. 48 and
p. 62, and seq. of the Memoir of Mr. Rich. a
In the line between Mohawill and Hillah, which is supposed to pass
through the centre of the area of Ancient Babylon, from north to
south, b traces of buildings are discovered in detached mounds of
rubbish, strewed with the fragments of bricks and bitumen, through
a space of about nine miles.
Towards the centre of this space, besides a remarkable ruin, taken
for that of the Tower of Belus, mounds of vast magnitude and extent
are seen, formed of the ruins and decomposed materials of buildings;
all of which have been dug into, more or less, in search of bricks ;
and have their surfaces strewed with fragments of brick, bitumen, and
pottery; and are deeply furrowed by channels, made by the running
off of the rain-water.
One of these mounds in particular appears to be composed of the
remains of buildings, far superior to all the rest, by the fineness of the
bricks, and the goodness of the lime mortar: and the surface has on
it, in addition to the substances generally found on the other mounds,
fragments of alabaster vessels, fine earthenware, marble, and great
quantities of varnished tiles. And notwithstanding that in latter
times the greatest supplies of bricks have been drawn from this
mound, they appear still to be abundant.
It is conceived that the mound in question contains the ruins of the
Great Palace described by Herodotus and Diodorus.
a The references to Mr. Rich's Memoir, as they were given in the
original publication of Major Rennell's Paper upon it, were made to
the first edition of that Memoir. In the present republication of both
the references are corrected accordingly. — E d.
b See the accompanying Sketch.