The 2000-year story of Babylon sees it moving from a city-state to the centre of a great empire of the ancient world. It remained a centre of kingship under the empires of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Alexander the Great, the Seleucids and the Parthians. Its city walls were declared to be a Wonder of the World while its ziggurat won fame as the Tower of Babel. Visitors to Berlin can admire its Ishtar Gate, and the supposed location of its elusive Hanging Garden is explained. Worship of its patron god Marduk spread widely while its well-trained scholars communicated legal, administrative and literary works throughout the ancient world, some of which provide a backdrop to Old Testament and Hittite texts. Its science also laid the foundations for Greek and Arab astronomy through a millennium of continuous astronomical observations. This accessible and up-to-date account is by one of the world's leading authorities.

'… this detailed history, drawing on fascinating ancient texts and the archaeology of the site, is valuable reading for anyone wanting to get to grips with ancient Babylon.' Lucia Marchini, Minerva Magazine
'An excellent work … Highly recommended.' S. M. Burstein, Choice Magazine
'… an overview of the 2000-year history of the city of Babylon, bringing the story up to date with a great deal of recent research and many new interpretations that have rarely made it into works for general readers. Creating a book like this is a difficult task, but Dalley has met the challenge expertly, creating a clear narrative that is well researched and nicely organized.' Amanda H. Podany, Biblioteca Orientalis
'The Greek Bible distinguishes Babylon from Babel, but in Hebrew it is the same menacing reality. Over the course of a history spanning two millennia, this initially modest city became the center of a succession of empires in antiquity, from Assyria to the Parthians, rivals of Rome, via Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and even Alexander the Great, who died there. This long history is presented by the author in a detailed, well-documented, and vivid manner, period by period …' Etienne Nodet, Revue Biblique

Stephanie Dalley is a member of the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of Somerville College. She has excavated in the Middle East and published cuneiform texts found in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, and in museums in Baghdad, Oxford, London and Edinburgh. She is the author of The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon (2013), which formed the basis for a successful TV documentary. Her other books include Myths from Mesopotamia (1986), The Legacy of Mesopotamia (1998), Mari and Karana: Two Old Babylonian Cities (1984) and Esther's Revenge at Susa (2007), some of which have been translated into other languages. She has lectured worldwide including at universities, schools and societies, and taught for three decades at the Oriental Institute. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.