and in the earliest human records as the greatest centre of sensual
splendor and sinful luxury the world has ever seen, is at last being
explored in the most thorough manner by the German Oriental Society,
of which the Kaiser is patron. Babylon rose to its greatest glory under
Nebuchadnezzar, the most famous monarch of the Babylonian Empire. At
that period it was the great centre of arts, learning and science,
astronomy and astrology being patronized by the Babylonian kings. The
city finally came to a terrible end under Belshazzar, as related in
the Bible. The palace of the impious king has been uncovered and its
great piles of masonry laid bare. The great hall, where the young
prophet Daniel read the handwriting on the wall, can now be seen. The
palace stood on elevated ground and was of majestic dimensions. A
winding chariot road led up to it. The lower part was of stone and the
upper of burned bricks. All around on the outside ran artistic
sculptures of men hunting animals. The doors were massive and of bronze
and swung inward, between colossal figures of winged bulls. From the
hall a stairway led to the throne room of the King, which was decorated
with gold and precious stones and finished in many colors. The hall
in which the infamous banquet was held was 140 feet by 40 feet. For
a ceiling it was spanned by the cedars of Lebanon which exhaled a sweet
perfume. At night a myriad lights lent brilliancy to the scene. There
were over 200 rooms all gorgeously furnished, most of them devoted to
the inmates of the king's harem. The ruins as seen to-day impress the
visitor and excite wonder and admiration.

The Germans have also uncovered the great gate of Ishtar at Babylon,
which Nebuchadnezzar erected in honor of the goddess of love and war,
the most renowned of all the mythical deities of the Babylonian
Pantheon. It is a double gateway with interior chambers, flanked by
massive towers and was erected at the end of the Sacred Road at the