Chapter 11, An Historical Sketch of Babylon Summary

This final chapter provides the reader with the history of ancient Babylon. For all its riches one would surmise that the city was situated in a tropical climate with abundant natural resources. However, Babylon was located on the banks of Euphrates River in a flat, dry valley. Ancient Babylonians are credited with the first feat of engineering for their vast irrigation canals that nourished their fertile soils.

Thankfully for historians the Babylonians left detailed accounts of their existence etched into clay tablets. Libraries containing thousands of tablets have been uncovered by archeologists allowing scientists to piece together the grand history of this ancient civilization. Queen Semiramis is credited with constructing the first walls around the city, while later walls were finished by Nebuchadnezzar. The scale of the walls is beyond belief. Some were...