Babylon 8

' I saw within the great wall of Babylon an inscription with the name of Ashurbanipal of Assyria, a king who proceeded me.'-Cyrus the Great

———

(Year: 480 BC)

3 years had passed since his reincarnation, and Artaxerxes was now officially a toddler.

'Can't believe its already been 3 years since my reincarnation as an Achaemenid prince'

Artaxerxes thought as he gazed out of his bedroom window. The sight before him he had long gotten used to, but he could still remember his reactions to arriving at one of history's most fabled cities, Babylon.

Babylon,' The Jewel of Cities', with its broad avenues, its palaces, temples, and gardens, its public squares, and marketplaces, and its houses packed tight together in meandering streets, was unrivaled in the ancient world for its size and splendor. Throughout Babylon's long and ancient history, it had been attacked and destroyed many times, but after each destruction, the city re-emerged anew from the ruins looking more magnificent than before.

Massive fortification walls sprang up, affording the city ample protection, and a deep moat was situated within the walls of Babylon so that an inner fortress city, a triangular island containing the old town and the venerated temple of Marduk, was given added protection.

But it was the Northern and Southern Summer Palaces that Babylon took on a particular splendor. The facades of the royal residences were richly ornamented with lapis-colored bricks, glazed so highly that they shone like mirrors in the sunshine. And everywhere, were images of prowling lions, trotting bulls, and striding dragons -- a mythical gathering emphasizing Achaemenid royal power.

And at the north-east corner of the great southern palace, there were the renowned Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, built --it was later said-- by Nebuchadnezzar for his Median queen, Amytis (diff one), to remind her of the mountains of her Iranian homeland.

Artaxerxes' great-grandfather Cyrus the Great, was said to have marched down Babylon's great Processional Way. Decorated with 120 molded glazed-brick lions ( the symbol of the goddess Ishtar), the grand venue ran along the eastern side of the Southern Palace. And it was used chiefly for parading statues of the gods during the great New Year Festival.

Cyrus the Great then passed through the massive Ishtar Gate--sparkling vivid blue and gold, and ornamented with bulls and dragons, the sacred symbols of Adam and Marduk-- and penetrated ever deeper into the city until he stood at the base of the Esagila, the temple and dwelling place of the city-god Marduk, Babylons sacred heart. Built at the top of the towering ziggurat, was an inner cella where the god himself resided.

Taken out of his thoughts, Artaxerxes turned at the sound of his bedroom door opening. Entering was his mother, the queen of Persia, Amestris. Already expecting her company, Artaxerxes trotted over to his mother and gave her a hug.

"Haha, Miss your mother Arta?" Amestris asked with a soft smile bending down to kiss Artaxerxes on the forehead. "Of course mother! I couldn't wait for more stories!" Artaxerxes said. And he wasn't lying, for the past few months, his mother has come by every evening to tell him stories of the past.

While of course there were some motives interwoven in the stories such as moral lessons and whatnot, Artaxerxes still had an enjoyable time hearing tales of adventure. It had all started when Artaxerxes was an infant when his mother would delight in singing him nursery rhymes, it then evolved into stories: there was the story of Zal, the white-haired baby who was abandoned by his father on the slopes of the Elburz Mountains and was nursed to adulthood by a great magical bird who nested on in the snowy peaks of Mount Damavand. There was the tale of Sindokht - 'the daughter of China'-whose cleverness, wise counsel, and beauty made her a model of womanhood. And there were stories of the devils (divs) of Mazandaran, that no-go area somewhere in the north and east-- which was filled with wickedness and lawlessness

"Very well little Arta, today ill go over a tale of the gods." Intrigued, Artaxerxes followed Amestris out of the palace and into the gardens to sit. With Artaxerxes sitting on his mother's lap in the center of the peaceful garden, he listened intently.

Smiling, Amestris began her tale," Long ago, Ahuramazda, the Wise Lord, father of all things, established the sun and moon and upheld the earth. Quickly falling in love with his creations, Ahuramazda created a group of six, known as Amesh Spentas,' Bounteous Immortals' these six were: Vohumanu (Good Thoughts), Asha Vahishta (Best Righteousness), Spent Amaiti (Holy Devotion, Khathiv Vairya (Desirable Dominion), Kharvatat (Wholeness), and lastly Amertat (Immortality).

"These six deities were tasked with one mission, to protect Ahuramazdas creations from the forces of evil, Ahriman the leader of untold demonic hordes." Hearing this, Artaxerxes couldn't help but envision a battle in the heavens, between the gods of good, and the gods of evil. Noticing her sons interest, Amestris continued," However, Ahriman wasn't alone, for he represented the 'Lie' of all things, and thus, created two daevas (Gods to be Rejected) to be the generals of his forces, Aeshma (Fury) and Bad Intentions (couldn't find Old Persian version)."

"Even with his endless hordes of demons, Ahriman was banished into an abyss of endless darkness," Amestris said with a smile on her face. 'That escalated quickly' Artaxerxes thought, then he spoke aloud, "So Ahriman is gone forever, mother?"

"If only it were so, instead, Ahriman latches onto the body of man and animals, and those infected with the parasite of Ahriman can only suffer in the House of Lies after death..." Amestris spoke with a far-off look, turning back to Artaxerxes, she said in a reassuring tone, "You don't have to worry about any of that Arta, Ahuramazda blesses the Achaemenid clan with divine providence, so we shall all rest in the House of Song."

Beyond confused, Artaxerxes decided to sum things up in his head. 'So, Ahuramazda, the Achaemenid clan's chief deity, represents good, order, and truth, meanwhile Ahriman is his antithesis and represents evil, chaos, and lies. Those who tell the truth go to heaven, those who lie go to hell.'

Artaxerxes felt like he had gotten a good gist towards the religion of the Achaemenid clan, ' Ah but with one exception, it seems like since the Achaemenids are blessed by Ahuramazda, we can lie all we want'

Finding it humorous how similar religion is from one epoch to the next Artaxerxes pondered on as to what really was up there, sitting above the clouds...