Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II was the greatest monarch of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning for forty-three years at the pinnacle of Mesopotamian architectural and imperial grandeur. The son of Nabopolassar, who had overthrown the Assyrian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar proved his military brilliance as crown prince by crushing Egyptian forces at the pivotal Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE.

As king, Nebuchadnezzar transformed Babylon into the most breathtaking metropolis of the ancient world. He constructed the glazed blue-brick Ishtar Gate decorated with dragons and aurochs, rebuilt the towering temple ziggurat Etemenanki (often associated with the Tower of Babel), and reputedly created the Hanging Gardens of Babylon—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—to soothe his Median queen Amytis's longing for her forested homeland. In 587 BCE, after repeated rebellions, his armies besieged and sacked Jerusalem, destroying Solomon's Temple and initiating the historic Babylonian Captivity.