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

DURING 19 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 421
half feet below the surface, which is somewhat higher than
the present level of the desert, he reports to have found the
ancient bed " in the middle of the stream." The northeastern
embankment of the canal proved to be " a sloping
bank of reddish clay," so that the natural inference would
be "that there was no well-built quay at this point" of
the watercourse. While excavating the rubbish accumulated
in the bed of the canal, Haynes unearthed three
large fragments of a round terra-cotta fountain originally
from i
y 2 to 1 feet in diameter, and on its outer face
showing a group of birds in high relief coarsely executed.
Early Babylonian Terra-Cotta Fountain from the Bed of the Chebar
One of the fragments exhibits a richly dressed person standing
on the backs of two of these creatures, through the
open mouths of which the water passed. The antiquity
belongs to a period prior to 2000 b. c.
It is unnecessary to follow Haynes through all the trial