In the reality of the existence of ancient Babylon scientists believe with difficulty and not at once. Certificates and opinions of ancient scientists and philosophers, such as Herodotus or Strabo, not taken seriously even in the fifties of the nineteenth century, since it was considered that they, like the children very much like to exaggerate.

Indeed, according to Herodotus, the circumference of the wall surrounding Babylon, it was almost ninety miles! And although these ancient philosophers as Diodorus or Strabo were significantly less "generous” (they wrote that the walls of Babylon have a length of only 70 kilometers), also did not believe them. Even the capital of great Britain, London, with its two million inhabitants in the mid-nineteenth century had a circle is less than 40 kilometers!

If history and it is fair, then not always. Because "wall of Babylon” are not (and was not listed never) on Department "seven wonders of the world”. And, actually, why? Because these walls is one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world.

We have already mentioned that "the walls of Babylon” had a length of about 70 kilometers. Well, what can you say about their height and thickness? Judge for yourself: according to conservative estimates the height of the "walls of Babylon” was no less than 22 meters!

Almost the same height has a 9-storey modern building! To match the height of the walls was and their thickness. In the early twentieth century archaeologist Robert Caldwell, which seriously undertook the excavations of ancient Babylon, was able to appreciate this option.

It turned out that the ancient authors nothing exaggerated, but on the contrary - has downplayed!.. Shaken Coldwell instead of two zones "walls of Babylon,” they wrote about ancient historians, discovered three.

Reconstruction them gave the following result: in the first zone of the walls had a thickness of seven metres, the second - about eight metres, and finally, the third - three and a half meters. In addition, every 45 meters stood a mighty tower, which had a base size 9 x 9 meters. It is difficult now to say what they were high... But not below the walls?

Here is the beginning of riddles and secrets... In fact, and how much it took bricks for the construction of buildings, the total amount of which is determined in 12 million cubic meters?

It was established that the first row of walls was built of mud bricks, which for this lofty goal, it took considered to be little more than a billion pieces! But the second and third rows of walls, for construction of which was burnt brick, demanded 2.5 billion bricks! This fact is currently set for sure.

This raises the next question - where did you take the Babylonians necessary for the firing of such quantity of bricks amounts of wood?

And isn't there treeless Mesopotamia?.. Researchers believe that the construction of the "walls of Babylon,” it would be absolutely impossible without the participation of the priest Board of Babylon. It is not in vain was considered to be the oldest among Devoted East!..

Maybe they used for firing bricks some devices, the basis of which is constituted by the analogues of solar concentrators?..

But is it real?

It is now officially acknowledged that biconvex lenses of glass were known in Mesopotamia not later than the eighth century BC! With their help, made fire, collecting the sun's rays at one point. It is also known that already in the fifth century BC in Greece was used copper mirrors, made in the form of a paraboloid. Such devices are today one of the most efficient solar concentrators.

Take into account the fact that in 1973 a group of Greek physicists under the leadership of Innasa of Sakasa had a kind of "investigative experiment”. 70 people went out on a clear day on the beach, holding on polished copper shield 1 x 1.5 meters. They simultaneously sent sunbeams from the boards at the layout of a Roman ship. After a few seconds he broke out!

Thus, for the priests of Babylon problem of brick-kiln without burning prodigious quantities of firewood, which, moreover, and take something was nowhere, was hardly an impossible task. The priests of ancient Babylon have dealt with the problems and more difficult. Burning not only were exposed bricks. As it turned out, all the enormous area of the outer surface of the Babylonian wall was covered... glazed tiles blue and green shades containing images of lions and amazing dragons, who for several years spark debate among archaeologists and historians!

Of course, one cannot deny that could be applied to some other, unknown to us the method of firing! In any case, today the mystery remained unsolved. References on this account is not in the heritage of ancient cuneiform