The Ishtar Gate

Abstract

The Ishtar Gate built between 500 and 600 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II, ruler of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty, was a symbol of his personal power, that of the Babylonian empire and a tribute to the omnipotence of the gods to whom everything was subject. The Ishtar Gate was a large impressive and artistically decorated construction made from especially formed ceramic bricks glazed in colours ranging from blue to gold and included reliefs in the form of bulls and dragons. A representative replication of the Northern Gate and part of the Processional Way completed in 1930 and now housed in the Pergamon museum in Berlin is described.