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"Babylon is said, by some writers, to have owed its foundation to Queen Semiramis, a person whose history, as it is handed down by tradition, seems to consist rather of entertaining fictions than substantial realities. By other authors, the foundation of the city is ascribed to Belus, and Nebuchadnezzar is allowed to have completed the labor. It stood on the Euphrates, in the middle of a wide plain, and was built in the form of an exact square, each side being fifteen miles in extent." — Goodrich, 1844

Babylon

"Babylon is said, by some writers, to have owed its foundation to Queen Semiramis, a person whose history,…

The remains of the ancient city of Babylon.

Mound of Babylon

The remains of the ancient city of Babylon.

A poster of ancient Babylonia: Chaldea, Assyria, Persia, soldiers, religion, writing, and structures.

Babylonia Poster

A poster of ancient Babylonia: Chaldea, Assyria, Persia, soldiers, religion, writing, and structures.

"A tablet of dark brown clay, much injured, dating from the 8th or 7th century B.C. The two large concentric circles indicate the ocean, or, as it is called in the cuneiform writing between the circles, the 'Briny Flood.' Beyond the ocean are seven successive projections of land, represented by triangles. Perhaps they refer to the countries existing beyond the Black Sea and the Red Sea. The two parallel lines within the inner circle represent the Euphrates. The little rings stand for the Babylonian cities in this region."—Webster, 1913

A Babylonian Map of the World

"A tablet of dark brown clay, much injured, dating from the 8th or 7th century B.C. The two large concentric…

An example of Babylonian writing.

Babylonian Writing

An example of Babylonian writing.

"Part of the Triumphal Entrance of Alexander into Babylon." —D'Anvers, 1895

Bas-relief

"Part of the Triumphal Entrance of Alexander into Babylon." —D'Anvers, 1895

An example of cuneform writing.

Cuneform Writing

An example of cuneform writing.

"One of an order of beings, the life-principles or geniuses or tutelary spirits of living beings, believed in and reverenced by the ancient Persians, adherents of the Zoroastrian religion. (Also) a name given ... to a symbol seen on monuments of ancient Persian origin, representing a winged circle, with or without a manlike figure in it, hovering over the head of a king or other person, and believed by some to represent his tutelary spirit." -Whitney, 1911

Feloher from Nineveh

"One of an order of beings, the life-principles or geniuses or tutelary spirits of living beings, believed…

In heraldry, the griffin is a fabulous animal, with the head and forefeet of an eagle, and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion. The head is represented with pricked ears, symbolical of its vigilance. In mythology, the griffin was a creature similar in form to the griffin of heraldry, which was supposed to find its especial function in watching over hidden treasure, especially in Scythia. It was dedicated to the sun-god Apollo, whose chariot appears in early art as drawn by griffins. It was a favorite ornamental 'theme' in ancient Babylonian and Persian art, and is also found in a similar way on art objects of the Phoenicians, the Mycenæan civilization, and the ancient Greeks. The Romans and art-workers of the renaissance used it as a purely decorative device.

Griffin

In heraldry, the griffin is a fabulous animal, with the head and forefeet of an eagle, and the body,…

An ancient Babylonian stone carving of King Merodach-idin-akhi, the Mesopotamian sun god.

King Merodach-idin-akhi

An ancient Babylonian stone carving of King Merodach-idin-akhi, the Mesopotamian sun god.

"The most illustrious of Babylonian kings, was the son of Nabopolassar, the general of the Babylonian garrison at the time the Assyrian empire fell to pieces after the death of Assur-bani-pal. The Babylonians then thre off the hated yoke of Assyria, and Nebopolassar was proclaimed king of Babylonia, in 625 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar succeeded him in 604, reigning 43 years, and was one of the greatest sovereigns who ever rules the ancient empire." — Beach, 1900

Nebuchadnezzar

"The most illustrious of Babylonian kings, was the son of Nabopolassar, the general of the Babylonian…

"The name of a Babylonian god, who, in the first year of the foundation of Babylon, is said to have come out of the Persian Gulf, or the old Erythraean Sea, adjoining Babylon. He is described as having the head and body of a fish, to which were added a human head and feet under the fish's head and at the sail. He lived amongst men during the daytime, without, however, taking any food, and retired at sunset to the sea, from which he had emerged." — Chambers, 1881

Oannes

"The name of a Babylonian god, who, in the first year of the foundation of Babylon, is said to have…

A large group of travelers in boats sailing on to the discovery of Lebanon.

Phoenician Fleet on a Voyage of Discovery

A large group of travelers in boats sailing on to the discovery of Lebanon.