The historical "Semiramis"


Legends narrated by Diodorus Siculus, who drew from the works of Ctesias of Cnidus, describe an Assyrian queen named Semiramis and her relationships to Onnes and King Ninus, a mythical king of Assyria not attested to in the official Assyrian King List. This powerful queen inspired a host of monuments and place names throughout Mesopotamia, Media, Persia, the Levant, Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Caucasus. She even became the heroine in plays, operas, and novels over the centuries. But, did she really exist?

Historians, think this mythical figure actually evolved from a real queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire named Shammuramat,  the wife of Shamshi-Adad V (reign 824 BCE–811 BCE) , who ruled as its regent for five years until her son Adad-nirari III came of age and took the reins of power. She ruled at a time of political uncertainty, and it has been speculated that her success in the male-dominated martial culture may have made the Assyrians regard her with particular reverence. The achievements of her reign (including stabilizing and strengthening the empire after a destructive civil war) were retold over the generations until she was transformed into a mythical figure.



Images: Semiramis by American sculptor William Wetmore Story that I photographed at the Dallas Museum of Art and photographed by another photographer from Pinterest. The sculptor, William Wetmore Story, delighted in the archaeological research required to outfit his subjects and lavished this queen with authentic Assyrian jewelry—bracelets, a necklace, and jeweled diadem.



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