"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." [‎١‎١] (٤٧٤/٣٨)

INTRODUCTION.
lake was thus made equally useful in defending the
country from inundations, and in rendering it more
fertile.
Herodotus attributes these magnificent and useful
works to the two queens, Semiramis and Nitocris,
between whose reigns there was an interval of five
generations. He tells us that Semiramis raised an
embankment worthy of admiration through the plain,
to confine the river, which heretofore often spread
over the level like a lake; and Nitocris, he adds, left
monuments, some of which he proceeds to describe.
" Seeing the Medes already possessed of extensive
empire, and restlessly extending their power, by
taking city after city, among which was Nineveh,
she resolved in good time to secure herself against
them in the best manner possible. In the first
place, therefore, as the river Euphrates ran in a
straight course through the city, she formed exca
vations at a distance above it, by which means its
course became so tortuous, that it three times passed
a certain town of Assyria, called Ardericca: travel
lers from our sea,* in descending the Euphrates
towards Babylon, three times arrive at that town
in the course of three days. She also raised both
banks of the river to an amazing height and thick
ness. At some distance above Babylon, and near
\
* Persons from this sea, the Mediterranean, that is, travellers from
Greece.