Babylon

Bab'ylon, the metropolis of the Babylonian empire. It was built on both sides of the river Euphrates in the form of a square, and enclosed within a double row of high walls. According to Herodotus, it included an area of about 200 square miles. Probably nine-tenths of this great space consisted of gardens, parks, and fields. The height of the walls was about 335 feet. The most remarkable edifice in Babylon was the temple of Bel, completed by Nebuchadnezzar. It was during the reign of this monarch that Babylon attained the height of its glory and magnificence. It suffered greatly when taken by Cyrus, and two sieges in the reign of Darius Hystas-pis, and one in the reign of Xerxes, had brought about a ruinous condition, when it was captured by Alexander the Great. Its overthrow was often predicted. (Isa. xiii. 4-22; Jer. xxv. 12; 1. 2, 3; li; Hab. i. 5-10.) See Assyria.