Identifier: studentsmanualof00smit (find matches)
Title: The student's manual of ancient geography, based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography
Year: 1861 (1860s)
Authors: Smith, William, 1813-1893, ed
Subjects: Geography, Ancient
Publisher: London, J. Murray
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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vinces or districts, but certain portions of theplain received special designations, as Chaldaea, the position of whichhas been described (p. 12) ; Mesene, about the head of the PersianGulf, and a second district of the same name in the X., probably at 212 BABYLOXIA. Book II. the point where the Euphrates and Tigris approach each other mostnearly ; Auranitis, and Amordocia, on the right bank of the Euphrates. The towns of Babylonia belong to thiee distinct periods : (i) theancient capitals whose history is nnknov^~n, except in so far asthe rnins themselves declare it ; (ii) the historical towns erectedduring the flourishing period of the Babylonian empire ; and (iii)those subsequently built by the Seleucidce for commercial objects,and Avhich continued to exist under the Eoman empire as borderfortresses. The sites of the first class are marked by those wonder-ful mouDds which rise so conspicuoush^ out of the plain, and ofwhich the Birs-i-Ntmmd, near Babylon, AlckerJt?/, near Baghdad,
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Plan of the Ruins of Babylon. Chap. XII. BABYLOX. 213 Niffei\ in the central plain, Warha and Senhereh^ about the marshesof the Euphrates, and Murj)ieii\ on the western side of that river,besides many others which might be enumerated, are still in exist-ence. Some of these have been identified with the old Biblicalcapitals of the land of Shinar ; of others, even the names are unre-corded in history, but may yet be deciphered from the monogramson the bricks. These cities perished at a very early period, andAvere in many cases converted into the abodes of the dead, beingused as Xecropolises by the succeeding towns : this is the case par-ticularly at IVarha and y(fe)\ where coffins are piled up tier ontier in prodigious numbers. In the second class may be placed thefamed capital of Babylon, and its suljurb Borsippa. In the thirdclass, Seleucia on the Tigris, Apamea, Charax Spasinu, and others. Babylon stood on both sides of the Euphrates, near the modernHillaJi. Its size was enormous :

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