Ishtar Gate, the entrance to Babylon




(Ishtar - goddess of Venus) The name Ester in Christian-Judaism culture came from Ishtar. Also the name Mardakhy, is Marduk - the "One God".

the Chaldeans under Nebuchadnezzar II. The Chaldeans ruled Mesopotamia until 539 BC, when Cyrus the Great of Persia, who had conquered Media, captured Babylon.

Under the Persians, Mesopotamia became the satrapies of Babylon and Ashur, Babylon having a major, although not capital, role in the empire. The Aramaic language, widely spoken earlier, became the common language, and the imperial government brought stability; it was oppressive, however, and Mesopotamia's prosperity declined.
Hellenistic and Roman Times
After Alexander the Great's conquest in 331 BC, the Greek dynasty of Seleucus I held Mesopotamia till 0 AD.


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