Might not the building of such a gigantic edifice have given rise to the legends existing on both continents in regard to a Tower of Babel?
Etemenanki, also in Babylon and dedicated to Marduk, was the great ziggurat of the city, often identified with the biblical Tower of Babel.
Genesis 11 - Tower of Babel
There is also a clearly established legend which singularly resembles the Bible record of the Tower of Babel.
Observe the resemblances between this legend and the Bible account of the building of the Tower of Babel:
They built it to reach the sun--that is to say, as a sun-temple; while in the Bible record Babel was built to perpetuate the glory of its architects.
In one form of the Tower of Babel legend, that of the Toltecs, we are told that the pyramid of Cholula was erected "as a means of escape from a second flood, should another occur."
Tower of Babel
Observe the resemblances between this legend and the Bible account of the building of the Tower of Babel:
Genesis Babel and Atlantis
Babel Story of Cholula
Babel means "gateway of the power" or "power gate"
Tower of Babel 8,800–8,600 BCE
8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.9Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD Elohim YHWH scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
Wallis reads the Tower of Babel in a different way.
To him, Babel was a "stargate", a portal or technology for fast access to outer space.
The word Babel means "gateway of the power" or "power gate".
In his view, Babel was a space project that other powerful beings shut down by force.
I put the full talk and my notes on it on its own page: Paul Wallis on the Tower of Babel as a stargate.
Linguistic and Cultural Division: Some scholars and traditions interpret this division as the splitting of human languages and cultures at the Tower of Babel.
Since the account of the Tower of Babel follows the genealogies that include Peleg, some believe that "the division of the earth" refers to this linguistic and cultural fragmentation.
The first interpretation aligns most closely with the subsequent biblical narrative and the traditional Jewish and Christian interpretations, seeing this division primarily in terms of the social and linguistic fragmentation at Babel.
1Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.2The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.3And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.4And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.6And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.7And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.8And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.9He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.10And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.11Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,12And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.13And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim,14And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.15And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,16And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite,17And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,18And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.19And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha.20These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.21Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.22The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.23And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.24And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.25And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.26And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazar-maveth, and Jerah,27And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,28And Obal, and Abimael, and Sheba,29And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.30And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east.31These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations.32These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11 – Babel