Brick of Nebuchadnezzar II
Neo-Babylonian dynasty, about 604-561 BC
From Babylon, southern Iraq
Following the defeat of the Assyrian Empire by the Babylonians
in 612 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt the city of Babylon on a grand
scale. It has been estimated that 15 million baked bricks were used
in the construction of official buildings. The bricks are usually
square and often bear cuneiform inscriptions, generally made with a
stamp (as here), but occasionally written by hand.
The inscription on this brick translates: 'Nebuchadnezzar, king
of Babylon, who cares for Esagila and Ezida, eldest son of
Nabopolassar, king of Babylon'. Esagila was the temple of the
supreme god Marduk in Babylon, while Ezida was the temple of Nabu,
god of writing, in the neighbouring city of Borsippa. The king's
most famous construction works were in Babylon where, along with
Esagila, he built the famous Ishtar Gate and the 'northern' palace.
He also rebuilt the ziggurat tower called Entemenanki.
Babylon is described by the Greek historian Herodotus (about
485-425 BC). The writer Berosus also credits Nebuchadnezzar with
the construction of the 'Hanging Gardens' which, according to
tradition, he built to remind his wife of her home, in the
mountains of Iran. No evidence survives for the Gardens at Babylon,
however, and the story may relate to the earlier extensive gardens
built around the Assyrian capital Nineveh.