(9) Palace of Nebuchadnezzar. At Birs Nimroud I was fortunate enough to discover, after three days' trail, the palace of Nebuchad nezzar. It contained about eighty chambers and halls, but nothing was found in them excepting in four rooms, where there were some remains of Babylonian antiquities, which proved that Nebuchadnezzar was the builder. In the first hall discovered we found broken pillars, capitals and fragments of enameled bricks, with cedar beams which must have belonged to its embellishment. At the grand entrance of the palace we found a solid or brass object ornamented, and inscribed on the side of it, recording its dedication by Nebu chadnezzar to his god for his restoration to health.
I found it at the threshold of the entrance to the temple of Belus. I was quite convinced from its position that it was not made originally for that purpose and it must have been brought there from its original position. The shape of it seemed to me to point to quite a different use, and that is, that it belonged to a "two-leaved gate," which is mentioned in the 45th chapter of Isaiah. Herod otus also mentions (book 1, chap. r8r) that the gates of Babylon were made of solid brass.
(10) Other Mounds. About a quarter of a mile to the northeast of Birs Nimroud there is a much larger mound, called Ibraheem-al-Khaleel, i. e., "Abraham the Friend" (of God), as the natives of the country believe in a tradition that Nimroud, "the mighty hunter," had tried there to throw Abraham into the fiery furnace.
I also explored another large mound, called Habil braheem, that is to say, "the rope of Abra ham," from the shape of the great canal which runs to it from the Euphrates, a distance of about thirty-five miles. That ruin is supposed to be the
site of ancient Cuthah.
The most important discovery I made during my explorations in Babylonia was at a mound called "Ahoo-Habha" about sixty miles to the north of Babylon and fifteen to the southwest of Bagdad. From the records I found there it has been proved that the place was the site of the ancient Sippara, the Sepharvain of the Bible.
During my first expedition to Babylonia I took a trip to Shat-al-Hai, the channel which runs from the Tigris, at Koot-al-Amara, to the Euphrates, as I had heard of a mound called Tel-lob, about one hundred and fifty miles to the southeast of lon, which was said to contain ancient statues.
I found on arriving there that Tel-loh was not included in the terms of my firman. However, I was able to dig there three days, and discovered a ruined temple, from which I sent some inscrip tions to the British Museum, which proves that the ruin dates as far back as 2,000 B. C.
There are still, I am sure, invaluable historical records buried in different parts of Assyria and Babylonia, which will be lost to the world forever if men in authority do not use their energy and influence in checking the wicked traffic in antiques and save what remains of buried treasures for the benefit of science and Biblical knowledge.
H. R.