Page:Herodotus and the Empires of the East.djvu/28

22 its annihilation." Thus was the proud and beautiful Babylon, which in Isaiah xiii. 19 was called "The glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride," brought to desolation. The rebuilding of the town was like founding it anew. Esar-haddon, Sennacherib's successor, in the beginning of his reign, in order to win the loyalty of the Babylonians, gave command to rebuild the town, its fortifications, and the temples. The obelisk of Esar-haddon, the so-called "Black Stone" (I. R., 49 and 50), found at Nineveh, gives us some account of these building operations. In this document the king regards the destruction of Babylon as a punishment sent by the god Merodach, and explains that he has undertaken to appease the wrath of the gods and to free the city from this curse. "Esagila, the temple of the gods, and its sanctuaries; Babylon, the city of favor; Imgur-Bêl, its inner wall; Nimitti-Bêl, its outer wall, I rebuilt from their foundation to their summit. Great, high, and mighty I erected them. The images of the great gods I repaired." (Col. IV., 16–25.)

During the reign of Ashurbanipal, the successor of Esar-haddon, the city, which had again become the head of a great alliance formed against Nineveh, was besieged till starvation was imminent. Babylon was taken, but not destroyed.

After the fall of Nineveh and the founding of the new Babylonian empire, the confines of the city were extended. Nabopolassar turned his attention to the improvement of the fortifications, especially the inner