Page:Walter Matthew Gallichan - Women under Polygamy (1914).djvu/32

 Herodotus tells us that the seat of the government, after the downfall of Nineveh, was transferred to Babylon. The city stood in a wide plain, covering a great area, and in its extent and the beauty of its architecture, Babylon surpassed all other cities. A moat and a high wall encompassed the city. In the wall, at the end of each street, were gates of brass. The royal residence and harem stood in the midst of a fortified enclosure.

The temple of Jupiter Belus was an immense square building. In one of the towers was a temple, wherein no mortal might pass the night except a native woman chosen by the deity from the whole nation. This priestess, who was a vestal, was said to be visited by the god himself.

In Babylon women were queens and priestesses, and held other exalted positions. The goddess was more honoured than the god. Women owned property and had equal rights with men. The Queen Semiramis had immense sway; and greater still was the power of Nitocris, who, according to Herodotus, enlarged and fortified the city and showed a wonderful capacity for engineering and the planning of canals and reservoirs.

By the famous Code of Hammurabi, marriage by purchase and polygamy were permitted in Babylon. But wives could not be divorced at the caprice of the