le takes in Babylonia the same sort of rank which it
has in Egypt and in Greece. It is not, as in Assyria, a mere adjunct
of the palace. It stands by itself, in proud independence, as the
great building of a city, or a part of a city; it is, if not absolutely
larger, at any rate loftier and more conspicuous than any other edifice:
it often boasts a magnificent adornment: the value of the offerings
which are deposited in it is enormous: in every respect it rivals the
palace, while in some it has a decided preeminence. It draws all eyes
by its superior height and sometimes by its costly ornamentation; it
inspires awe by the religious associations which belong to it; finally,
it is a stronghold as well as a place of worship, and may furnish a
refuge to thousands in the time of danger.

A Babylonian temple seems to have stood commonly within a walled
enclosure. In the case of the great temple of Belus at Babylon, the
enclosure is said to have been a square of two stades each way, or,
in other words, to have contained an area of thirty acres. The temple
itself ordinarily consisted of two parts. Its most essential feature
was a _ziggurat_, or tower, which was either square, or at any rate
rectangular, and built in stages, the smallest number of such stages
being two, and the largest known number seven. At the summit of the
tower was probably in every case a shrine, or chapel, of greater or
less size, containing altars and images. The ascent to this was on the
outside of the towers, which were entirely solid; and it generally wound
round the different faces of the towers, ascending them either by means
of steps or by an inclined plane. Special care was taken with regard to
the emplacement of the tower, either its sides or its angles being
made exactly to confront the cardinal points. It is said that the
temple-towers were used not merely for religious purposes but also as
observatories, a use with a view to which this arrangement of their
position would have been serviceable.

Besides the shrine at the summit of the temple-tower or ziggurat, there
was commonly at the base of the tower, or at any rate somewhere
within the enclosure, a second shrine or chapel, in which the ordinary
worshipper, who wished to spare himself the long ascent, made his
offerings. Here again the ornamentation was most costly, lavish use
being made of the precious metals for images and other furniture. Altars
of different sizes were placed in the open