Tell Babil

At Babylon; the Barrington Atlas Directory notes: Tell Babil.

Tell Babil mound is the highest ruin in modern Babylon. It is the site of a royal residence of the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 604–562 BC). That palace was built at the northernmost spur of the outer city of Babylon. The building was excavated in 1914–15 and referred to as the “Summer Palace”/“Sommerpalast” since its excavators thought that some of the principal rooms were cooled by ventilation shafts.

Nebuchadnezzar II records the construction of the “Summer Palace” at Tell Babil as follows in one of his inscriptions: “In the immediate vicinity of the wall of baked bricks (that) faces North, (my) heart prompted me to build a palace for the protection of Babylon and I had a palace, a replica of the palace inside Ka-dingirra, built inside it (Babylon) with bitumen and baked brick. I constructed a strong, sixty-cubit (artificially-made) spur of land along the Euphrates River and (thereby) created dry land. With bitumen and baked brick, I secured its foundation on the surface (lit. “breast”) of the netherworld, at the level of the water table, and raised its superstructure. I added to the palace and raised it as high as a mountain with bitumen and baked brick. I had (beams of) hard cedar stretched (over it) as its roof. At each of its gate, I fixed doors (made) of cedar with a facing of bronze, (and) threshold(s) and nukuššû-fittings of cast copper. I named it “May Nebuchadnezzar (II) Stay in Good Health (and) Grow Old As The Provider of the Esagil.” As for the merciless, evil-doer in the outskirts of the wall of Ka-dingirra, I drove away his arrows by reinforcing the wall of Babylon like a mountain. I strengthened the protection of Esagil and established the city of Babylon as a fortress.”