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

DURING 10 CENTURY: ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA 477
of the sanctuary itself. A methodical exploration of the
large building at the side of the ziggurrat will doubtless
result in the unearthing of other fragmentary inscriptions
and important objects of art, but its principal object will
have to be the restoration of the ground-plan of Babylonia's
great national sanctuary at the middle of the second
pre-Christian millennium.
5. Much has been written on the analogies existing between
Babylonian and Hebrew temples, and, strange to say,
even an attempt has been made to trace the architectural
features of the temple of Solomon to Babylonian sources,
though as a matter of fact not one of the large Babylonian
temples has as yet been excavated thoroughly enough to
enable us to recognize its disposition and necessary details.
The little Parthian palace of Nippur on the west side of
the Chebar, plainly betraying Greek influence, was quoted
as a pattern " of the architecture of Babylonia,'' and the
Parthian fortress lying on the top of the ruined temple of
Bel was interpreted as " affording us for the first time a
general view of a sacred quarter in an ancient Babylonian
city." There remains little of Peters' theories concerning
the topography of ancient Nippur and the age of its excavated
ruins that will stand criticism. We can therefore
readily imagine to what incongruities anv comparison resting
on his so-called interpretations of the ruins must lead us.
It will be wise to refrain for the present entirely from such
untimely speculations until the characteristic features of at
least one of Babvlonia's most prominent sanctuaries have
been established satisfactorily by pick and spade.
In my previous sketch I
have endeavored to show, on the
basis of my own excavations and researches at Nuffar, that
Ekur, the temple of Bel, consisted of two principal buildings,
the ziggurrat, and " the house of Bel " at the side
of it. Both were surrounded by a common wall called
Imgur-Marduk in the cuneiform inscriptions. It may rea-