The Neo-Babylonian Empire and Nebuchadnezzar II

After the fall of Assyria, Babylon regained its dominant role in Mesopotamia under the Chaldean dynasty, giving rise to the Neo-Babylonian Empire (c. 626-539 BCE). Its most prominent ruler, Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE), pursued an intense policy of military expansion and monumental urban development of the capital, including the reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, decorated with glazed blue-tiled animal reliefs, now reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.