Page:Herodotus and the Empires of the East.djvu/55

Rh of all the legendary fortunes, habits, and achievements of the Assyro-Baby Ionian rulers, from Sargon I. and Hammurabi to the fall of Babylon.

The second "Babylonian" queen whom Herodotus mentions is Nitocris. He attributes to her three works: The windings of the Euphrates at Arderikka, the great basin above Babylon for the reception of the water of the Euphrates (probably the Basin of Sippara), and the building at Babylon of a bridge over the Euphrates. The husband and the son of Nitocris are both called Labynetos by Herodotus. It was in the reign of the younger Labynetos that Babylon fell at the hands of Cyrus.

Herodotus gives the reason for the construction of the works at Arderikka as follows: " Because she (Nitocris) saw how formidable the power of the Medes had grown, and how they were never at peace, but had conquered Ninos, with many other towns, she took every precaution to defend herself against them."

(I., 185.) From the time of Nebuchadrezar the growing might of the Medes was a source of apprehension to the Babylonians. That king constructed fortifications, especially the new east wall, to meet this threatening danger.

The cuneiform records show that the basin at Sippara was begun in the reign of Nebuchadrezar. (E. I. H., VI., 39–46.) The building of the bridge across the Euphrates was probably necessitated by the magnitude and importance of Babylon at this same period. The western portion of the town needed a better connection with the eastern portion; besides, the traffic over the Euphrates was especially great at the festival held