![]() ![]() The gardens allegedly held species of every tree and plant from the empire. Descriptions of this palatial complex say it had five courtyards, residences for the king and his consorts, and an ornate throne room. This irrigation system may have fed one of Nebuchadrezzar’s most famous and mysterious accomplishments: the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a wonder of the ancient world. Great floods of destroying water like the great waves of the sea I made flow around it.” Inscriptions present Nebuchadrezzar’s canal system as a labor of Herculean proportions: “Alongside Babylon, great banks of earth I heaped up. The biblical Psalm 137, in which the Hebrew captives sit and weep “by the waters of Babylon,” may be a reference to Babylon’s irrigation canals, the lifeblood of its economy and strength. If the favor of the god was regarded as crucial to the city, a more mundane resource-water-was also central to Babylon’s preeminence. ![]() Toward the end of his reign, around 575 B.C., he built what is probably Babylon’s iconic ancient landmark: the Ishtar Gate, decorated with cobalt glazed brick reliefs. He refurbished temples and sanctuaries, paved the Processional Way, and embellished his own legendary palace. Nebuchadrezzar II was following in the footsteps of his namesake, the first Nebuchadrezzar, who, centuries before, had exalted Babylon over other cities, such as Nippur.Ĭontinuing the work begun by Nabopolassar, the king built a great moat, defensive walls, and canals. Years of war with the Assyrians the century before had led to the destruction of Babylon in 689 B.C. Nebuchadrezzar focused much of his building energies on restoring Babylon to its former glory. Nebuchadrezzar II was a warrior by necessity, but a builder by disposition.The funds collected from his states helped finance his civic improvements. Vassal states would pay heavy annual tribute to Babylonia and feed its growing treasuries with: “silver, gold, costly precious stones, bronze, palmwood, cedarwood, all kinds of precious things, to my city Babylon I brought.” The following inscription, taken from one now held by the British Museum, suggests that keeping the “peace” was a considerable burden on Nebuchadrezzar:įar-off lands, distant mountains, from the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea, steep trails, unopened paths, where motion was impeded, where there was no foothold, difficult roads, journeys without water, I traversed, and the unruly I overthrew I bound as captives my enemies the land I set in order and the people I made to prosper. The king, mindful of his legacy, recorded his achievements for posterity on fired-clay cylinders. Cities were sacked, nobles imprisoned, and peoples exiled to Babylon. It stretched from Palestine and Syria, occupied the fertile valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris, and swept down to the Persian Gulf. By the end of Nebuchadrezzar II’s 44-year reign, the empire had grown immensely. In Akkadian, the new sovereign’s name, Nabukudurriusur, means “Nabu, watch over my heir.” He was named after Nebuchadrezzar I, Babylon’s warrior king of the 12th century B.C., and pursued a path of expansionism. This was the wall that was intended to keep out the Cimmerians, Scythians, and any other undesirable barbarians… and it was now in Cyrus’ hands.Please be respectful of copyright. This meant that the very next day Cyrus was able to take the city of Sippar without a fight, thus having full control of the Median wall. By taking Opis/Upu, Cyrus had flanked the Median wall that stretched all the way to Sippar. 237-239)Ĭyrus’ first battle against the Babylonians at Upu/Opis was a success, and of great significance. From Kislev to Adar, the gods of Akkad that Nabonidus had sent to Babylon returned to their sanctuaries. He installed Gubaru as governor of (all) the governors in Babylon. Peace reigned in the city Cyrus decreed peace for all Babylon. (Drinking) straws (?) were filled up before him. In the month of Arahsamnu, the third day, Cyrus entered Babylon. Until the end of the month, the shield-(carriers) of Gutium encircled the gates of the Esagila … Later, having returned, Nabonidus was taken in Babylon. The sixteenth, Governor Ugbaru of Gutium and the army of Cyrus made their entrance into Babylon without fighting. The fourteenth, Sippar was taken without struggle. He pillaged and massacred the population. In the month of Tesrit, Cyrus having joined battle with the army of Akkad at Upu on the of the Tigris, the people of Akkad fell back. In 539 BCE, Cyrus and his forces officially invaded the Babylonian Kingdom: ![]()
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