<P> After the death of Ashurbanipal, the Assyrian empire destabilized due to a series of internal civil wars throughout the reigns of Assyrian kings Ashur - etil - ilani, Sin - shumu - lishir and Sinsharishkun . Eventually Babylon, like many other parts of the near east, took advantage of the anarchy within Assyria to free itself from Assyrian rule . In the subsequent overthrow of the Assyrian Empire by an alliance of peoples, the Babylonians saw another example of divine vengeance . </P> <P> Under Nabopolassar, a previously unknown Chaldean chieftain, Babylon escaped Assyrian rule, and in an alliance with Cyaxares, king of the Medes and Persians together with the Scythians and Cimmerians, finally destroyed the Assyrian Empire between 612 BC and 605 BC . Babylon thus became the capital of the Neo-Babylonian (sometimes and possibly erroneously called the Chaldean) Empire . </P> <P> With the recovery of Babylonian independence, a new era of architectural activity ensued, particularly during the reign of his son Nebuchadnezzar II (604--561 BC). Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds, including the Etemenanki ziggurat, and the construction of the Ishtar Gate--the most prominent of eight gates around Babylon . A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate is located in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin . </P> <P> Nebuchadnezzar is also credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon--one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World--said to have been built for his homesick wife Amyitis . Whether the gardens actually existed is a matter of dispute . German archaeologist Robert Koldewey speculated that he had discovered its foundations, but many historians disagree about the location . Stephanie Dalley has argued that the hanging gardens were actually located in the Assyrian capital, Nineveh . </P>

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