Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

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EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
swarms of vermin and insects, it was possible to work ten to
fourteen hours every day during the whole year at the edge
of one of the most extensive Babylonian swamps, infested
with unruly Arabs and troublesome deserters from the Turkish
army, without any considerable increase of danger to the
health and life of its members. Commander Selby and his
party, however, spent only a few weeks out of every twelve
months in actual work in the field, so that in 1866 the
Indian government suspended the slowly proceeding and
rather expensive work.
In 1871 the results obtained by the
commission of three were published under the title " Trigonometrical
survey of a part of Mesopotamia with the rivers
Euphrates and Tigris" (two sheets), comprising the land between
33^2 and 32 degrees north latitude. Even in its
incomplete condition this map of Babylonia, thoroughly
scientific, denotes a new epoch in the study of ancient
Babylonian geography. A third sheet gives the regions
west
of the Euphrates, as mentioned above, while a fourth
contains a most accurate survey of the city of Babylon.
From all the material which since the time of Rich had been
gathered together, in 1883 Heinrich Kiepert constructed
his own excellent and much consulted map of Northern
Babylonia, 1 until the present day our only trustworthy
guide through all the ruins to the south of Baghdad. No
attempt has as yet been made to survey Central and Southern
Babylonia.
How long will this unsatisfactory condition last? A
single man, or even two or three, while in
charge of an expedition
at one of the
Babylonian ruins, cannot survey the
remaining three quarters of the whole land to the south of
Nuffar within a reasonable space of time. An especial expedition
must be organized to execute the work properly and
scientifically, under a firman which should grant the members
of this expedition the necessary right to dig enough at
1
Ruincnfelder der Umgegend von Babylon, Berlin, 1883.