Euphrates Tunnel

The Euphrates Tunnel was allegedly a 929 meter long tunnel built to connect the two halves of the city of Babylon;[1] archaeologists believe it was built between 2180 and 2160 BCE.[2] Construction began with a temporary dam across the Euphrates river, and proceeded using a "cut and cover" technique.[1] The tunnel was supposedly lined with brick and waterproofed with asphalt.[1][3] No other sub-aqueous pedestrian tunnel was attempted until Marc Brunel built the Thames Tunnel beginning in 1824 CE.[1] A description of the tunnel as being built and used by Queen Semiramis is given by Diodorus (fl. 50 BCE) in the Bibliotheca Historica.[4] Philostratus (d. 250 CE) also describes the tunnel's construction in the Life of Apollonius of Tyana.[5][6]

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