The ancient king Nebuchadnezzar II is known to us from biblical stories. His real name was hidden for a long time behind the ancient Jewish transcription, his palaces and cities were covered with sands of oblivion. For a long time he was considered only a myth, a fiction, a horror story for adults. But in the XIX century, the first archaeological site shook the foundations of history, and the world learned about forgotten civilizations and ancient rulers.
What is famous for Nebuchadnezzar II, whose portrait portraits adorn school books in many countries of the world? How did he become king of Babylonia, what did the enemies and allies remember, why did his name appear in the Bible? You will learn all this from the article.
Background
The Babylonian kingdom arose in the 20th century BC Combining the Upper and Lower Mesopotamia, it was one of the greatest states in the Middle East region for more than 5 thousand years. This was the time of the appearance of the first cities and the first systems of government. Then came the judicial and bureaucratic system. At this time, the very first set of laws in history appeared - the laws of Hammurabi.
In 1595 BC power in Babylon was captured by the tribes of nomads - the Hittites. Under their rule, Babylon spent more than 400 years. Subsequently, the kingdom formally remained independent, while gradually falling under the influence of the powerful and aggressive northern neighbor - Assyria.
But the Babylonian king Nabopalasar conquered Assyria, got rid of centuries of dependence and began to build his own empire. His rule gave impetus to the new development of the ancient state. And Babylon reached its greatest prosperity during the reign of the son of Nabopalasar, whose name is Nebuchadnezzar II.
short biography
The Akkadian name of the famous king was recorded as "Nabu-kudurri-utsur." Like all royal names, it was significant and was deciphered as "the firstborn, dedicated to the god Naboo." He was the first son of the famous conqueror of Assyria and very soon showed that he was quite worthy to continue his father's work.
Being very young, Nebuchadnezzar II commanded the army of Nabopalasar at the Battle of Karkemish, and then led the military operation in Zarechye, a land uniting small states on the territory of modern Syria, Jordan and Israel.
Numerous victories brought the prince well-deserved fame both in his own country and abroad. In August 605 BC, when the king of Babylon died, Nebuchadnezzar II hastened to the capital, fearing that another heir would take the throne of Babylon in his absence. And in early September 605 BC he became the rightful heir to the great Babylonian state.
Jewish wars
The first military achievement of Nebuchadnezzar as the new king of Babylonia should be called the capture of the Philistine city of Ascalon. The Philistines, longstanding foes of the Jews, hoped for the support of the Egyptian army. But for a number of reasons, Pharaoh Necho did not come to the aid of his allies, and the city fell under the onslaught of the Babylonian army.
This time can be considered the starting point of the anti-Jewish campaign of Nebuchadnezzar. The first time he punished the king of Judea, Judea, for unfaithfulness, because it was by the will of the Babylonian king that the ruler of Judea retained his throne. For the second time , the Palestinian people were able to pay Nebuchadnezzar with a huge ransom. In addition to money, precious materials, gold and silver, the Babylonian king captures 10 thousand Jews and sends them to Babylon as slaves.
The fall of Jerusalem
The third campaign against Judea ended fatally for the Jewish people. In 587 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II surrounds Jerusalem. King Zedekiah invited the townspeople to surrender, but the Jews continued to defend their city - and after a long siege it was taken and destroyed. Zedekiah was captured with his family and household.
Nebuchadnezzar brutally punished the king - he killed all his sons, household members, and blinded Zedekiah himself and sent him to Babylon as a simple slave. Thus ended the era of the kings of the tribe of David. The survivors were not happy, but rather envied the dead.
The devastation was complete and final. The main Jewish shrine, the temple of Solomon, burned down. The walls of the city fell, houses, crops and vineyards were burned to the ground. Judea ceased to exist as an independent state. Not surprisingly, one of the most negative characters described in the Bible was King Nebuchadnezzar II. He broke the Jewish dreams of independence, defiled their shrines, made slaves.
Wars against Egypt
The king of Babylon held his power over one of the largest powers of the old world for more than forty years. During this time, he went on campaigns to Egypt several times and significantly reduced the influence of this state in the Middle East region.
Instant military operations made the entire western border of Egypt controlled by the Babylonian army. This could not but bother Pharaoh Necho. In 601 BC e. he set up a huge army against Nebuchadnezzar. The battle lasted several days - the fields were strewn with the bodies of the fallen.
Nebuchadnezzar went back to Babylon to save the remnants of his army. But Pharaoh Necho was no better. He managed to maintain his own borders, but there was no longer any strength for the offensive. Armed neutrality reigned between the two powers, sometimes interrupted by small skirmishes. This continued throughout the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.
In Bible books, the Jews described this war from the perspective of the vanquished. The Egyptians did not lag behind them either - they described Nebuchadnezzar as a beast from the North. Perhaps this has a large share of truth - the ancient winners did not spare the losers. But another point of view should be considered: how did Nebuchadnezzar II manage his wealth? What became a powerful country with this king?
Empire revival
Military campaigns against the District, Egypt and Judea in most cases ended in victory. Caravans with rich booty, precious metals, slaves from those countries and peoples that Nebuchadnezzar II enslaved with their iron will went to Babylon.
The economy of Babylon flourished - entire nations became tributaries of the new Babylonian empire. A huge influx of wealth created all the conditions for the capital of the great kingdom to become the most amazing and luxurious place in the world.
New Babylon
It is interesting that in history the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II became the first ruler who in his memoirs was not proud of wars and conquered powers, but rebuilt cities, sown fields and good roads.
The new king managed to turn Babylon into the largest economic and political center of the Ancient World. Thanks to his decrees and orders, the city became not only an impregnable fortress, but also one of the most beautiful capitals.
City revival
Nebuchadnezzar II put a lot of effort into decorating his hometown. The streets of Babylon were paved with tiles and bricks, which were carved from outlandish rocks imported from afar. Pink breccia was brought from Arabia, and white limestone from Lebanon.
The houses of officials, courtiers and priests were decorated with huge bas-reliefs, the walls of temples and palaces shook with images of real and mythical animals.
Continuing to strengthen and decorate his own city, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of a bridge over the Euphrates, which would connect the Eastern and Western areas. The built bridge became one of the great engineering creations of that time: its length reached 115 meters, its width was about 6 meters, in addition, it had a removable part for passing ships.
Defense
The neighboring state of Midia was an ally of Babylon as long as the threat from Assyria was tangible. But after a series of victories over the northern state, Medes quickly turned from an ally into a probable enemy of Babylon. Therefore, the defense of the capital in the empire became the paramount task for Nebuchadnezzar.
Its architects as soon as possible completed the alteration of the external walls of the city - now they have become wider and higher. Around the walls of Babylon dug a deep moat filled with water from the Euphrates. Another wall was constructed along the inner perimeter of the moat - an additional line of defense. At a certain distance from the capital, a network of defensive structures was created, designed to make it difficult for enemies to get to the capital on the far approaches to the city.
Walls and Temples
Nebuchadnezzar II paid great attention to his own gods, who brought him glory and victory. Under him, several ziggurats were built and the largest of them dedicated to the Etemenanka was completed. It was he who became the basis for the legend of the Tower of Babel. In addition, the architects and builders of Nebuchadnezzar II completed the Esagila Temple, the construction of which was begun under Nabopalasar. The splendor of the religious buildings and personal possessions of the king emphasized the glory and invincibility of the eternal Babylon.
Marriage
To secure an agreement with Media, Nebuchadnezzar II married the daughter of the Medes ruler Kitaxar. Thus, the alliance between the two warlike states was strengthened, and the likelihood of the Medes invading Babylon was reduced.
The royal residence, in which Nebuchadnezzar II and his wife Amanis settled, was decorated pompously and elaborately, and the princess missed the green gardens and cool streams of the Mead very much. Then, instead of taking the princess to the green oases, the king ordered the oasis to be transferred to the royal palace.
Hanging gardens
Perhaps the commands of another ruler would not have been fulfilled, but it was the king of the great empire - Nebuchadnezzar II himself. Gardens were located on several tiers above the ground, covering an area of several tens of square meters. All the acquired experience of architects and builders, all the resources of ancient Babylon, which Nebuchadnezzar II could collect, were thrown at their construction.
The management and logistics of that time already made it possible to carry valuable goods from all over the Babylonian kingdom. Therefore, in the beautiful gardens, the fertile Nile valleys, the unique flowers of Arabia, and the giant trees and shrubs of the northern outskirts of the country were represented.
The result of the work was amazing even for the Babylonians accustomed to luxury. Wide hundred-meter walls of the capital were decorated with trees and shrubs, outlandish flowers and murmuring streams. And over the whole city rose gardens soaring in the air. A complex irrigation system allowed the waters of the Euphrates to constantly irrigate a green oasis.
Hundreds of slaves pumped heavy pumps day and night, allowing water to move up. Hundreds of gardeners took care of the green spaces, preventing them from drying out and getting sick in the unfriendly hot climate of Babylon. The constant supply of trees and the change of plants allowed the green oasis to be in the prime of its beauty at any time of the year. And the queen could enjoy the trees and flowers, which she was so used to since childhood.
Symbol of love
Perhaps this was the first symbol of love erected in the name of the woman whom Nebuchadnezzar II loved. The wife of the ruler, the Midian princess Amanis, remained in the memory of centuries as a woman who prompted her husband and master to make a great gift that survived its own time.
In historical chronicles, the gardens were associated with the name of Babylon - the Assyrian queen, who lived two centuries earlier, and had no relation to Babylon. Perhaps the reason for this error was the similarity of the names of both princesses - after all, the grammar was far from perfect, and the same characters could be read in different ways. The fact remains that the gardens, which have become a symbol of love for one woman, have remained in history inextricably linked with the name of another.
Garden History
Even ten centuries later, the hanging gardens amazed the imagination of travelers, and Herodotus gave them the honorary name of the second wonder of the world. It was from his notes in the Oikumena chronicles that knowledge about an amazing building got into. Much later, already in the middle of the XIX century, archaeologists will find material evidence of the existence of the hanging gardens of Babylon.
Unfortunately, an amazing work of architectural and engineering art did not survive until the beginning of the new century. The gardens survived the heyday and decline of the Babylonian Empire. In the 1st century BC a major earthquake led to the full-scale spill of the Euphrates, and gardens that stood half a millennium were forever buried under sedimentary river rocks. They were covered with silt and washed away by the waters. And from the great construction there was one legend of great love.