Had you heard of Semiramis before reading Babylonia? What did you learn about the time period from the novel?
I had not heard of her prior to reading this novel. Learning about the power struggles, the battles, the various characters involved in these events, and how a woman, such as Semiramis, had to fight her way to independence and power was truly an education
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I’ve read every little ancient history, so she was unfamiliar to me. I was impressed by the research the author has done, and appreciated her attempts (in the author’s note ) to spell out which parts of the story were documented in some way, and which were myth (by which I mean “story” not “falsehood”).There was a lot of Assyrian history here that I have never crossed paths with before. I willread more in this area in the future.
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I had not heard of Semiramis before. I learned a lot, it made me want to google to find out more.
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I had never heard of Semiramis but quickly learned her history on Wikipedia. The brutality and callous disregard for human life in that civilization and time period were quite astounding. The treatment of women was not surprising but the fact that she could rise to a leadership position was truly remarkable.
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My thoughts exactly. I had no idea women could rise to power…especially a low born woman.
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I had heard of Semiramis as an ancient ruler of Assyria and Babylon. I learned a lot about the time period from reading the novel, and was reminded of the magnificent Assyrian bas reliefs in the Louvre and in the British museum. In the book, you learn about the famous ziggurats and hanging gardens of Assyria and also of the cruel, war-like culture of its rulers.
I was not familiar with Semiramis. From this book, I was reminded of the hardships of that time especially of the poor and commoners. There was so little opportunity to change your station in life. Also, the cruelty and punishments that were meted out were horrific. Wars, as always, were brutal, but the treatment of those captured was unthinkable. Rulers felt that they must rule by fear.
I had not heard of Semiramis before reading this book. And having read the authors earlier book on Clytemnestra, I have appreciated her perspective on historical figures from a female perspective. Her strength was remarkable given her history. But it highlighted how political games are timeless. What Semiramis did to come to power was so remarkably orchestrated as she moved step by step towards power.
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While I have read about many cultures and historical characters and periods, this was my first time reading about one of the ancient civilizations. I knew very little about the Assyrians and had never heard of Semiramis. I am in awe of her success and rise to power especially in a culture where everything was against her from the start.
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I hadn’t heard of her at all and was delighted to learn about her.
Rosanna, I agree, I immediately thought about the bas reliefs I have seen in museums. It made me want to go back and view them, now that I know more about the culture.
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I had never heard of Semiramis before reading this book. My knowledge of the ancient Middle East was limited to what I remember from my college Ancient Art History course over 50 years ago! This book was an education in itself because it sent me scurrying to sources of information about geography, culture, history, etc.
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While her name was familiar, the extraordinary mythology surrounding her was a surprise. I learned that the time period was more brutal than I imagined. The people’s relation to their gods, including the sun and moon, as much more a part of daily life than I imagined. While fiction, Babylonia was full of irresistible descriptions of the era
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I, too, had not heard or read of Semiramis before reading Babylonia. The level of achievement related to architecture and artistic expression was very surprising, yet it paled in light of the brutality and quest for total power between various kingdoms, members of royalty within the kingdoms, and even within royal families. That a commoner and a woman, Semiramis, could rise through the political strata to assume the thrown as Queen of Assyria and Babylonia would be the stuff of fantastical fiction. Yet history says she, in fact, did just that.
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I had not heard of Semiramis before nor did I know much about Babylon and Babylonia. The book, thanks to Constanza Casat, taught me a lot and sent me searching maps and history…
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I had not heard of her before reading “Babylonia”. I knew something about the time period, but not that there was ever a female queen at that time.
No. I had not read anything about Semiramis before reading Babylonia. This is the main reason that I enjoyed the book. It’s very interesting to read about real women who had power in ancient times, since that is rare. And that it was so long ago makes it almost amazing.
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No, I had not heard of Semiramis prior to reading this book. It is a fascinating part of the world.
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I had heard about Semiramis before reading the book…mostly because I always catch myself trying to pronounce it properly! I was drawn to this story because the Assyrian Empire has always interested me. In many ways, the Assyrians were the forerunners of Sparta–a society revolving around war. This story was so well-researched and made a long dead culture pop off the page…I’ll read ANYTHING by Costanza Casati in the future.
Peggy