The importance of sloping the walls of buildings inwards to resist interior pressure is thoroughly recognized.  Drains are introduced to carry off moisture, which must otherwise have been very destructive to buildings composed mainly, or entirely, of crude brick.  It is evident that the builders whom the king employs, though they do not possess much genius, have still such a knowledge of the most important principles of their art as is only obtained gradually by a good deal of practice.  Indeed, the very fact of the continued existence of their works at the distance of forty centuries is sufficient evidence that they possessed a considerable amount of architectural skill and knowledge.  We are further, perhaps, justified in concluding, from the careful emplacement of Urukh’s temples, that the science of astronomy was already cultivated in his reign, and was regarded as having a certain connection with religion.  We have seen that the early worship of the Chaldaeans was to a great extent astral—­a fact which naturally made the heavenly bodies special objects of attention.  If the series of observations which Callisthenes sent to Aristotle, dating from B.C. 2234, was in reality a record, and not a mere calculation backwards of the dates at which certain celestial phenomena must have taken place, astronomical studies must have been pretty well advanced at a period not long subsequent to Urukh.

Nor must we omit to notice, if we would estimate aright the condition of Chaldaean art under this king, the indications furnished by his signet-cylinder.  So far as we can judge from the representation, which is all that we possess of this relic, the drawing on the cylinder was as good and the engraving as well executed as any work of the kind, either of the Assyrian or of the later Babylonian period.  Apart from the inscription this work of art has nothing about it that is rude or primitive.  The elaboration of the dresses and headgear of the figures has been already noticed.  It is also worthy of remark, that the principal figure sits on an ornamental throne or chair, of particularly tasteful construction, two legs of which appear to have been modelled after those of the bull or ox.  We may conclude, without much danger of mistake, that in the time of the monarch who owned this seal, dresses of delicate fabric and elaborate pattern, and furniture of a recherche and elegant shape, were in use among the people over whom he exercised dominion.

The chief capital city of Urukh appears to have been Ur.  He calls himself “King of Ur and Kingi Accad;” and it is at Ur that he raises his principal buildings.  Ur, too, has furnished the great bulk of his inscriptions.  Babylon was not yet a place of much importance, though it was probably built by Nimrod.  The second city of the Empire was Huruk or Erech:  other places of importance were Larsa (Ellasar?) and Nipur or Calneh.