'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in reference to Major Rennell's remarks: with narrative of a journey to Persepolis: now first printed, with hitherto unpublished cuneiform inscriptions copied at Persepolis: by the late Claudius James Rich, Esq., formerly the Resident of the Hon.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.' [‎145] (233/474)

RUINS OP BABYLON.
145
respect the best authority for its state in his time.
The circumference he assigns to it has been gene
rally deemed exaggerated ; but, after all, we cannot
prove it to be so. He says nothing to determine
the situation of the Palace (for he speaks but of
one) and Temple; he has no mention of east or
west, or of proximity to the river. It is true, it has
been attempted to establish from him, that the
Temple was exactly in the centre of one of the
halves into which the city was divided by the river;
which, by the way, if clearly made out, would not
agree with Major Rennell's position of it on the
river's banks; but the error appears to have arisen
from translating /xsW, centr Herodotus's words
are, W <^6 ipdpas'i Ixars 'go; rr,s TroXtoS I tsteij^isto ev
Iv rS) wv ra ^aaiK-nix, ltBpiQoka> rs lAsyocXco ts 'tiy^upa)'
lv Se tw sTspu, Atoy BrjXoy t . X.
(Herod. Wessel. p. 85), in which I do not see the
necessity of adopting so mathematical a significa
tion. (B) Strabo, as might be expected, contains
much fewer particulars than Herodotus; and the
other Grecian and Roman historians still less: they
are consequently of little use in a topographical
inquiry. It appears, therefore, that none of the
ancients say whether the Tower of Belus was on
the east or the west of the Euphrates; that its
position in the centre of the city, or even of one of
its divisions, is by no means clearly made out; and
that while the description of the best ancient author
involves no difficulties, the only particulars which