COLUMN V

1 Its fosse he dug 2 and of two high embankments 3 in cement and brick 4 he finished the mass: 5,6 an embankment for pathways he made, 7,8 Buttresses of brick beyond the Euphrates 9,10 he constructed, but did not complete: 11,12 the rest from …[1] 13 the best of their lands I accumulated: 14 a place for sacrifice, as ornament, 15,16 as far as Aibur-sabu[2] near Babylon 17 opposite the principal gate 18 with brick and durmina-turda stone 19 as a shrine of the great Lord, the god Merodach 20 I built as a house for processions. 21,22 I his eldest son, the chosen of his heart, 23,24 Imgur-Bel and Nimetti-Bel 25,26 the great walls of Babylon, completed: 27 buttresses for the embankment of its fosse, 28 and two long embankments 29 with cement and brick I built, and 30 with the embankment my father had made 31,32 I joined them; and to the city for protection 33,34 I brought near an embankment of enclosure 35 beyond the river, westward. 36 The wall of Babylon 37,38 I carried round Aibur-sabu 39 in the vicinity of Babylon: 40 for a shrine of the great Lord Merodach 41,42 the whole enclosure I filled (with buildings) 43 with brick made of kamina-turda stone 44 and brick of stone cut out of mountains. 45,46 Aibur-sabu from the High gate, 47,48 as far as Istar-Sakipat I made, 49,50 for a shrine for his divinity I made good, 51 and with what my father had made 52,53 I joined, and built it; 54,55,56 and the access to Istar-Sakipat I made, 57,58 which is Imgur-Bel and Nimetti-Bel, 59 the great gates, the whole temple of the gods, 60,61 in completeness near to Babylon 62 I brought down; 63,64 the materials of those great gates 65 I put together and

(Continued on Column VI.)

[Footnote 1: Lacuna.]

[Footnote 2: An ornamental piece of water near Babylon.]