OCR Text |
Show The Decline of Babylon Ancient Dabylon was tho alluvial land of thoEuphratos nnd the Tigris region, about equal In si - to tho Italy of to-day, and was tho granary of tho anclont world, with a phonomonal wealth of vegetation and palm foresto and ollvo orchards and vinoyards. Canals dug In various directions served serv-ed to store tho wntors and to irrigate tho land, and at tho samo tlmo wero tho nvonuos of commorco and trade Indeed, tho Dabylon or tho Biblical poriod was tho Holland of antiquity. Every king found his glory In tho oxtonslon of tho watorwny Bystom, and from tho days of Ilamumbi through many conturios tho work of tho rulor In this rogard provod to bo tho greatest blosslng to tho country. Tho whole country whs prnctlcally 'ono vast garden, northward from Dabylon, between Hlllol and Dagda according to tho wonderful reports o. Xonophon, Ammalnus, Marcclllnus and Zosmlus, tho last mentioned finding find-ing as lato as tho fifth Christian con-tury con-tury vast vinoyards and ollvo grovoa throughout tho land. In tho tlmo of tho early Arabian califs no fewer than 3G0 cities and villages aro montlonod by uamo along thoso canals. Pliny declares de-clares this to havo boon "tho most fruitful land In tho oast." Now, on tho other hand, it is a droary desert, tho playground of tho storms and winds. In tho southorn portions thoro aro still soma remnants of tho canals loft, but tho two famous rivers, Euphrates and Tlgrlo, aro no lorjgor connected, and botwcoh Dag-dad Dag-dad nnd Dassora a fow English steamboats steam-boats can scarcely force their way. |