tained to its
splendour and greatness. Whether its throne was occupied by Amorite or
Kassite, Assyrian or Chaldean, it was invariably found to be the most
effective centre of administration for the lower Tigro-Euphrates
valley. Some of the Kassite monarchs, however, showed a preference for
Nippur.

Of its early history little is known. It was overshadowed in turn by
Kish and Umma, Lagash and Erech, and may have been little better than
a great village when Akkad rose into prominence. Sargon I, the royal
gardener, appears to have interested himself in its development, for
it was recorded that he cleared its trenches and strengthened its
fortifications. The city occupied a strategic position, and probably
assumed importance on that account as well as a trading and industrial
centre. Considerable wealth had accumulated at Babylon when the
Dynasty of Ur reached the zenith of its power. It is recorded that
King Dungi plundered its famous "Temple of the High Head", E-sagila,
which some identify with the Tower of Babel, so as to secure treasure
for Ea's temple at Eridu, which he specially favoured. His vandalistic
raid, like that of the Gutium, or men of Kutu, was remembered for long
centuries afterwards, and the city god was invoked at the time to cut
short his days.

No doubt, Hammurabi's Babylon closely resembled the later city so
vividly described by Greek writers, although it was probably not of
such great dimensions. According to Herodotus, it occupied an exact
square on the broad plain, and had a circumference of sixty of our
miles. "While such is its size," the historian wrote, "in magnificence
there is no other city that approaches to it." Its walls were
eighty-seven feet thick and three hundred and fifty feet high, and
each side of the square was fifteen miles in length. The whole city
was surrounded by a deep, broad canal or moat, and the river Euphrates
ran through it.

"Here", continued Herodotus, "I may not omit to tell the use to which
the mould dug out of the great moat was turned, nor the manner in
which the wall was wrought. As fast as they dug the moat the soil
which they got from the cutting was made into bricks, and when a
sufficient number were completed they baked the bricks in kilns. Then
they set to building, and began with bricking the borders of the moat,
after which they proceeded to construct the wall itself, using
throughout for their cement hot bitumen, and interposing a layer of
wattled reed