Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon

Download or read book Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon written by D. J. Wiseman and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1991-03-21 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new examination of the region of Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon (605-562 BC) includes revised interpretations of the Babylonian Chronicles for his reign, especially for the years of the campaigns against the West and the capture of Jerusalem. Excavations at Babylon are used to give a view of the city in Neo-Babylonian times, including the royal `Hanging Gardens' and the ziggurat. The varied literary genres current in this city of learning in the sixth century BC (including dreams and prophecies) and the role of hostages, exiles, and prisoners of war are used to throw light on the life of the Jewish exiles there. An assessment of the character of Nebuchadrezzar as a military and political leader, religious devotee and legal administrator is attempted on the basis of textual evidence.