Definition: The son of Nabopolassar, the Chaldean restorer of Babylonian independence, King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562) was the most important king of the Second or Neo-Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar restored old religious monuments and improved canals as other Babylonian kings had done, but Nebuchadnezzar is best known for his Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Hanging Gardens were on a terrace supported by brick arches. Nebuchadnezzar had many building projects including surrounding his capital city with a double wall ten miles long which had an elaborate entry called the Ishtar Gate. He also built a port on the Persian Gulf.
Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Cimmerians and Scythians and then turned west, conquering Western Syria and destroying Jerusalem in 586. He took the inhabitants prisoner and brought them to Babylon, for which reason this period in Biblical history is referrred to as the Babylonian captivity.
See: Neo-Babylonian Dynasty.
Also Known As: Nebuchadnezzar the Great
Alternate Spellings: Nabu-kudurri-usur, Nebuchadrezzar, Nabuchodonosor
