Reading Babylon

A combined investigation of the archaeological remains and the ancient testimonies of the city of Babylon in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar, during the sixth century B.C., allows us to read the city’s multiple ideological messages. The concern of the article is not with the identification of specific monuments, but with the ideological notions that the monuments conveyed to the ancient viewer. This issue is examined on various levels, from the city in its entirety to the ephemeral appearances of monuments during religious processions.