(60) 6. The Gardens of Semiramis at Babylon--more commonly known as the Hanging Gardens--stood within the palace grounds of Nebuchadnezzar, near the Euphrates River. They rose in a terrace-like pyramid and on the top was a reservoir for the watering of the gardens. They were built about 600 B.C., but the name of the landscape artist has not been preserved. They symbolized the planes of the invisible world, and were consecrated to Venus as the goddess of love and beauty.

(10) And they began to build, and in the fourth week they made brick with fire, and the bricks served them for stone, and the clay with which they cemented them together was asphalt which cometh out of the sea, and out of the fountains of water in the land of Shinar.

(10) And they built it : forty and three years were they building it ;. its i F breadth was 203 bricks, and the height (of a brick) was the third of one; its height amounted to 5433 cubits and palms, and (the extent of one wall was) thirteen stades (and of the other thirty stades).

(3) I will go down to the Apsu to live with my lord, Ea, and upon you he will rain down abundance, a profusion of fowl, myriad(!) fishes. He will bring to you a harvest of wealth, in the morning he will let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat!"' Just as dawn began to glow the land assembled around me- the carpenter carried his hatchet, the reed worker carried his (flattening) stone,... the men... The child carried the pitch, the weak brought whatever else was needed. On the fifth day I laid out her exterior. It was a field in area, its walls were each 10 times 12 cubits in height, the sides of its top were of equal length, 10 times It cubits each. I laid out its (interior) structure and drew a picture of it (?).

(6) Enlil is in Nippur, Shamash is in Sippar. Erect an eternal monument proclaiming... how Gilgamesh killed(?) Humbaba. Humbaba heard... [About 10 lines are missing.] "May he not live the longer of the two, may Enkidu not have any 'share'(?) more than his friend Gilgamesh! Enkidu spoke to Gilgamesh, saying: "My friend, 1 have been talking to you but you have not been listening to me," You have been listening to the curse of Humbaba!"... his friend... by his side.. they pulled out his insides including his tongue.... he jumped(?)....abundance fell over the mountain,...abundance fell over the mountain. They cut through the Cedar, While Gilgamesh cuts down the trees, Enkidu searches through the urmazallu. Enkidu addressed Gilgamesh, saying: "My friend, we have cut down the towering Cedar whose top scrapes the sky. Make from it a door 72 cubits high, 24 cubits wide, one cubit thick, its fixture, its lower and upper pivots will be out of one piece. Let them carry it to Nippur, the Euphrates will carry it down, Nippur will rejoice.... They tied together a raft... Enkidu steered it... while Gilgamesh held the head of Humbaba.

(11) And 'Or, the son of Ks6d, built the city of 'Ara of the Chaldees, and called its name after his own name and the name of his father.

(10) For they departed from the land of Ararat eastward to Shinar; for in his days they built the city and the tower, saying, " Go to, let us ascend thereby into heaven." *

(10) And the Lord sent a_jniglity» <Ra^- whyii-again&t-4he-towfiX and overthrew it upon the ^A ' earth, and behold it was between Asshur and Babylon in the laad-of Shinar, and they called its name " Over- 1688 am throw." *

(1) He who has seen everything, I will make known (?) to the lands. I will teach (?) about him who experienced all things,... alike, Anu granted him the totality of knowledge of all. He saw the Secret, discovered the Hidden, he brought information of (the time) before the Flood. He went on a distant journey, pushing himself to exhaustion, but then was brought to peace. He carved on a stone stela all of his toils, and built the wall of Uruk-Haven, the wall of the sacred Eanna Temple, the holy sanctuary. Look at its wall which gleams like copper(?), inspect its inner wall, the likes of which no one can equal! Take hold of the threshold stone--it dates from ancient times! Go close to the Eanna Temple, the residence of Ishtar, such as no later king or man ever equaled!

(2) Go up on the wall of Uruk and walk around, examine its foundation, inspect its brickwork thoroughly. Is not (even the core of) the brick structure made of kiln-fired brick, and did not the Seven Sages themselves lay out its plans? One league city, one league palm gardens, one league lowlands, the open area(?) of the Ishtar Temple, three leagues and the open area(?) of Uruk it (the wall) encloses. Find the copper tablet box, open the... of its lock of bronze, undo the fastening of its secret opening. Take and read out from the lapis lazuli tablet how Gilgamesh went through every hardship.