University of Alberta Museums Search

Babylon was a thriving ancient center on the Euphrates river. It was the capital of the empire of Hammurabi by the 18th century BCE and was taken by Assyria in 690 BCE. It flourished under Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th century BCE, was taken by Cyrus the Great in 538 BCE and by Alexander in 331 BCE. The city declined in the third century BCE. The Ishtar Gate and the Hanging Gardens, which were one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are two of the ancient city's best known monuments. Babylon is believed to be the source for the legendary Biblical Tower of Babel.