Most ancient cities were always surrounded with big walls which were a form of protections against enemies while the inhabitants of the city lived within the walls. Babylon was no exception here and below is given an account of the walls of the city.
“The walls were every way prodigious : for they were in thickness eighty-seven feet, in height three hundred and fifty feet, and in compass four hundred and eighty furlongs, which make sixty of our miles.” 1
“These walls were drawn round the city in the form of an exact square, each side of which was one hundred and twenty furlongs, or fifteen miles in length, and all built of large bricks, cemented together with bitumen, a glutinous slime arising out of the earth in that country, which binds in building much stronger and firmer than lime, and soon grows much harder than the brick or stones themselves which it cements together.” 2
“These walls were surrounded on the outside with a vast ditch filled with water, and lined with bricks on both sides, after the manner of a scarp or counterscarp, and the earth which was dug out of it, made the bricks, wherewith the walls were built ; and therefore, from the vast height and breadth of the walls may be inferred the greatness of the ditch.” 3
“In every side of this great square were twenty-five gates, that is, an hundred in all, which were all made of solid brass…” “From the twenty-five gates on each side of this great square, went twenty-five streets in straight lines to the gates, which were directly over against them in the other side opposite to it. So that the whole number of the streets were fifty, each fifteen miles long, whereof twenty-five went one way, and twenty-five the other, directly crossing each other at right angles.” 4
“By these streets thus crossing each other, the whole city was cut out into six hundred and seventy-six squares, each of which was four furlongs and an half on every side, that is, two miles and a quarter in compass. Round these squares, on every side, towards the streets stood the houses, all built three or four stories high, and beautified with all manner of adornments towards the streets. The space within, in the middle of each square, was all void ground, employed for yards, gardens, and other such uses.” 5
Thus, is the description of the city of ancient Babylon in terms of infrastructure but this would not be complete without describing the river than ran through it.
“A branch of the river Euphrates, did run quite cross the city, entering in on the north side, and going out on the south…” 6
This river was a big factor in the Babylonian economy as it was a source of water. Its management was a matter carefully considered by Nebuchadnezzar who built the city because not only was it important for the ability of the city to sustain itself but also posed a danger in terms of flooding and security from invasion (as it was the only entrance into the city after the gates had been closed).
“the banks of the river, and the artificial canals, and the artificial lake… were made for draining of it (the Euphrates) in the times of overflows: for, on the coming on of the summer, the sun melting the snow on the mountains of Armenia, from thence there is always a great overflow of water during the months of June, July, and August, which, running into the Euphrates, makes it overflow all its banks during that season … whereby the city and country of Babylon”, suffered, “great damage…” 7
“For the preventing hereof, he did, a great way up the stream, cut out of it (The Euphrates), on the east side, two artificial canals, thereby to drain off these overflowings into the Tigris, before they should reach Babylon.” 8
“For the farther securing of the country, Nebuchadnezzar built also prodigious banks of brick and bitumen on each side of the river, to keep it within within its channel,” which were carried along from the head of the said canals down to the city, and some way below it.’ 9
“But the most wonderful part of the work was within the city itself… on each side of the river, he built from the bottom of it a great wall for its bank … which was of the same thickness with the walls of the city…” On “every street that crossed the said river, he made, on each side a brazen gate in the said wall, and stairs leading down from it to the river…” 10
“While these banks were a building, the river was turned another way: for which purpose, to the west of Babylon, was made a prodigious artificial lake… into this lake was the whole river turned by an artificial canal cut from the west side of it, till all the said work was finished, and then it was returned again into its own former channel. But that” the Euphrates, “in the time of its increase, might not, through the gates above mentioned overflow the city, this lake, with the canal leading thereto, was still preserved…” 11
Of the three, the artificial canals that emptied into the Tigris on the northern side of the city, the river banks and the artificial lake; the artificial lake, “proved the best and most effectual means to prevent it (flooding); for whenever the river rose to such an height as to endanger this overflowing, it always discharged itself, by this canal into the lake, through a passage in the bank of the river, at the head of the said canal, made there of a pitch fit for this purpose, whereby it was prevented from ever rising any higher below that place.” 12
Furthermore, “the water received into the lake, at the time of these overflowings, was kept all year, as in a common reservatory for the benefit of the country, to be let out by sluices, at all convenient times, for the watering of the lands below it.” 13
Thus, was the layout of the city of ancient Babylon and the river on which the city sat on, the Euphrates.
References
- 1 — Book II, Pg 188, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 2 — Book II, Pg 188, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 3 — Book II, Pg 188, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 4 — Book II, Pg 188, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 5 — Book II, Pg 190, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 6 — Book II, Pg 190, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 7 — Book II, Pg 197, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 8 — Book II, Pg 197, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 9 — Book II, Pg 197, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 10 — Book II, Pg 198, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 11 — Book II, Pg 198, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 12 — Book II, Pg 198, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D
- 13 — Book II, Pg 198, Par 1, The Old and the New Testament Connected in the History of the Jews and the Neighbouring Nations from Declension of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah to the Time of Christ by Humphrey Prideaux D. D