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

20 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
geographical work assumes, making the Euphrates divide
the citv. The mounds which are to be seen "on the other
side of the river, at about a league's distance from its banks,
are called by the Arabs Bros [meaning Birs]." Among
the ruins of Babylon, which chiefly consist of bricks scattered
about, " there is in particular an elevation which is flat
on the top, of an irregular form, and intersected by ravines.
It would never have been taken for the work of human
hands, were it not proved by the layers of bricks found in
it. . . . They are baked with fire and cemented with zepht
\ziff\ or bitumen ; between each laver are found osiers."
Not very far from this mound, " on the banks of the
river, are immense heaps of ruins which have served and
still serve for the building of Hillah. . . . Here are found
those large and thick bricks imprinted with unknown characters,
specimens of which I have presented to the Abbe
Bartholomv. This place [evidently El-Oasr] and the
mound of Babel are commonly called bv the Arabs Mak~
loube [or rather Muqailiba, 1 popularlv pronounced Mujeliba\^
that is, overturned." Further to the north Beauchamp
was shown a thick brick wall, " which ran perpendicular
to the bed of the river and was probablv the wall of
the city."
The Arabs employed to dig for bricks obtained
their material from this and similar walls, and sometimes
even from whole chambers, " frequently finding earthen
vessels and engraved marbles, . . . sometimes
representing human figures, or solid
idols of clav
cylinders covered with
verv small writing . . . and about eight years ago a statue
as large as life, which was thrown amongst the rubbish."
On the wall of a chamber they had discovered " figures of a
cow and of the sun and moon formed of varnished bricks."
Beauchamp himself secured a brick on which was a lion, and
1
In the Arabic dialect of modern Babylonia the diminutive (^fu'ail) is
frequently used instead of the regular noun formation. Comp. Oppert,
Expedition en Mesopotamie, vol. i., p. 114.