Nebuchadnezzar

neb-u-kad-nez'ar, an illustrious king of Babylon. His reign, lasting from 604 to 561 B. C., marks the highest point of the Chaldean kingdom. He overran Syria, carried the Hebrews into captivity, and subjected the Egyptians to the Chaldean yoke. He pushed his conquests far into the northeast, also, building an immense wall against the incursions of his enemies. He beautified Babylon. He dug what is known as the king's canal and a huge reservoir to retain the surplus water of the Euphrates. The so-called Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world, were constructed during his reign to give pleasure to one of his wives, a Median princess. See Babylon