Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 01.djvu/463

BABYLONIA 373 BABYLONIA and earth-mounds containing them. Babylon was a royal city 1,600 years before the Christian era; but the old city was almost entirely destroyed in 683 B. C. A new city was built by Nebuchadnezzar nearly a century later. This was in the form of a square,, each side 15 miles long, with walls of such immense height and thickness as to constitute one of the wonders of the world. It contained splendid edifices, large gardens and pleasure-grounds, es- pecially the hanging gardens, a sort of lofty terraced structure. After the city was taken by Cyrus in 538 B. c, and Babylonia made a Persian province, it began to decline, and had suffered severely by the time of Alexander the Great. He intended to restore it, but was prevented by his death, which took place here in 323 B. c. Interesting discoveries have been made on its site in recent times. The modern town of Hillah is near the ancient city, and the plain here for miles around is studded with vast mounds of earth and imposing ruins. The German Oriental Society has sent a number of expeditions to explore the ruins of storied Babylon, the city of Nebuchadnezzar. At Easter, 1899, the work was begun on the mound that covers ancient Babylon, It was the beginning of bringing to life the so-called "City of Life," which had been dead to the world for 3,000 years or more. Herodotus, who visited Babylon in the time of Artaxerxes I., said that the city was surrounded by a wall 50 royal ells (84 feet) wide, and 200 ells (336 feet) high, and that on top of this wall, on each edge, were one-story houses, leaving a space between the roA^s of houses on which four chariots abreast could drive. As soon as Dr. Koldewey, the leader of the first expedition, made his first attack on the mound, he struck this wall, un- doubtedly the one mentioned by Hero- dotus. In April, 1900, Dr. Koldewey discovered a canal, built of Aramean brick, which is believed to be the long sought East Canal. A temple called Ernach, of the goddess Ninniach, was laid bare, and stones found inscribed from the time of Nebuchadnezzar. As a result of these and further discoveries many ancient references to Babylon have now assumed new meaning. BABYLONIA (now Irak Arabi), an old Asiatic empire, occupying the region watered by the lower course of the Euphrates and the Tigris, and by their combined stream. The inhabitants, though usually designated Babylonians, were sometimes called Chaldeans. At the earliest period of which we have record, the whole valley of the Tigris and Euphrates was inhabited by tribes of Turanian or Tartar origin. Along with these, however, there early existed an intrusive Semitic element, which gradually increased in number till at the time the Babylonians and Assyrians (the latter being a kindred people) became known to the western historians they were essentially Semitic peoples. The great city of Babylon, or Babel, was the capital of Babylonia, which was called by the Hebrews Shinar. The chief cities, besides Babylon, were Ur, Calneh, Erech, and Sippara. Babylonia and Assyria were often spoken of together as Assyria. The discovery and interpretation of the cuneiform inscriptions have enabled the history of Babylonia to be carried back to about 4000 B. c. The country was then ruled by a number of kings or princes, each in his own city. About 2700 B. C, Babylonia came under the rule of a single monarch. Latterly it had serious wars with neighboring nations, and for several hundred years previous to 2000 B. C. Babylonia was subject to the neighboring Elam. It then regained its independence, and for 1,000 years it was the foremost state of western Asia in power, as well as in science, art, and civilization. The rise of the Assyrian empire brought about the decline of Babylonia, which latterly was under Assyrian domination, though with in- tervals of independence. Tiglath-Pileser 11. of Assyria (745-727) made himself master of Babylonia; but the conquest of the country had to be repeated by his successor, Sargon, who expelled the Baby- lonian King, Merodach-Baladan, and all but finally subdued the country, the com- plete subjugation being effected by Sennacherib. After some 60 years, the second or later Babylonian empire arose under Nabopolassar, who, joining the Medes against the Assyrians, freed Baby- lon from the superiority of the latter power, 625 B. c. The new empire was at its height of power and glory under Nabopolassar's son^ Nebuchadnezzar (604-561), who subjected Jerusalem, Tyre, Phoenicia, and even Egypt, and carried his dominion to the shores of the Mediterranean and northward to the Armenian Mountains. The capital, Baby- lon, was rebuilt by him, and then formed one of the greatest and most magnificent cities the world has ever seen. He was succeeded by his son, Evil-Merodach, but the dynasty soon came to an end, the last King being Nabonetus, or Nabonadius, who came to the throne in 555 B. c, and made his son, Belshazzar, co-ruler with him. Babylon was taken by Cyrus, the