Semira is an ancient queen and ruler of a region known as Assyria, located north of Mesopotamia. However , the exact length of her reign is unknown , so many scholars cannot agree on when she reigned, concluding in some cases that her existence comes from a mythological legend that actually participated in written historical episodes.
Who is Semiramis?
Based on ancient Greek stories, this mythical woman was the wife of the also mythological King Ninus of Assyria and later became regent of the city for 42 years after her husband’s death following a 52-year reign around 2189 BC.
During her reign, the government she imposed on her empire spread rapidly to Ethiopia and India. In memory of her husband Ninus, she built a monument near Babylon in his honor, which later inspired the work of Pyramus and Thisbe.
Consequently, this woman is credited with founding numerous cities, as well as constructing many wonderful buildings, among which the palaces with their beautiful hanging gardens stand out, in addition to the tunnel built under the Euphrates River.
Where is Assyria?
It is an ancient region located north of Mesopotamia, with a history dating back to 2600 BC. It was founded on the banks of the Tigris River and was one of many towns that existed in the area at that time.
Its history is rich in information, as this people went through various stages over time, beginning in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, when kings were the ancient pastoral leaders.
Later, when the 24th century BC came to an end, they became part of the Akkadian Empire from 2334 to 2154 BC, according to Sargon of Akkad, the figure who united all the ancient Akkadian and Sumerian peoples.
Consequently, this led to the emergence of the Assyrian people in the 2nd millennium BC, also known as Subartu. Their golden age was during the 8th and 7th centuries BC, when this empire took control of part of the territory that now belongs to Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey.
However, Assyriology is the discipline that studies the history of Assyria and, more broadly, that of Mesopotamia, and it states that the former went through three stages:
- In its early days, it was known as a city-state called Aššur, and it had a high level of trade and merchants.
- Witness to the rise of the Assyrian kingdom, a powerful territorial state that, despite its strength, declined with the change from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BC.
- It overcame its decline and became a formidable empire with a large army. This period was the most recognized in history, as it boasts great archaeological finds that support it, in addition to rulers who contributed to its success and popularity, which was also captured in the Hebrew Bible and by classical Greek authors.
Consequently, a great deal of information was obtained thanks to the epigraphic and archaeological documents found during this period, which led to it becoming a component of ancient Mesopotamian civilization, with the kingdom of Babylon to the south as its rival.
It should be noted that the last phase of the kingdom is the best known because documents were collected that allow us to establish what the administrative, economic, social, and cultural aspects were like, including religion and art. Of course, there are gaps in our knowledge because the texts are not distributed evenly across all periods, and many sources have disappeared since ancient times. This is compounded by the fact that discoveries only focus on the elite.
However, the region of Assyria fell successively under the control of the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Median, Parthian, Roman, Sassanid, and Seleucid empires, until only small independent Assyrian kingdoms remained, which eventually disappeared and became a minority.
The legend of Semiramis
Her myth begins with Diodorus of Sicily, who recounts that this woman was born in Ascalon and was the daughter of the goddess Dereeto and a handsome young Assyrian.
When she was very young, her mother abandoned her in the desert, where she was fed by doves for a year. Before she turned one, a shepherd named Simmas found her and decided to adopt her, giving her the name Semiramis.
As time passed, this young woman grew into a beautiful woman of great intelligence who conquered Menones, governor of Nineveh, during a trip in which he met her, and he married her. Stories tell that Semiramis wielded great power over her husband, who wanted nothing more than to please her and valued her opinion on any matter he asked her about.
However, one day, Nino, dictator of all the nations of Assyria, attacked the Bactrians and Menon’s beautiful wife, who was with her advisor and his wife, who was dressed so strangely that it was impossible to tell if she was a man or a woman.
She realized that the attack was directed at the part of the city that was uninhabited because it was less guarded, so she came up with the idea of choosing the best men who knew how to climb so that together they could attack the citadel. This was a success and the Bactrians were forced to surrender.
King Nino was enchanted by the woman’s courage and beauty and wanted to make her his wife. He blackmailed Menones, who did not want to give her up, but in the end, out of desperation, he committed suicide, and Nino was able to marry her.
She remained with him until his death after a 52-year reign, but before dying, he left Semiramis as ruler of his people, as his son was still a minor.
Among her historical achievements, the following stand out:
- Once, when her husband was wounded by an arrow, she disguised herself as Ninya, son of Nino, to tell the army to follow her instructions on the battlefield.
- Another legend says that she asked her husband to let her rule for five days. While she sat on the royal throne with the seal on her finger, the provinces had to do whatever she asked, so she took advantage of this opportunity to imprison her husband and sentence him to death. She then declared herself his successor and ruled alone until her death. It should be noted that the queen did not forget her husband and built him a fabulous tomb, which she adorned with solid gold statues.
- Known for her fortitude, the story goes that one day a revolt broke out in the palace, so Semiramis ran out to battle half-dressed. When they saw her, they stopped thanks to her presence and eloquence. After resolving the conflict, she proceeded to return to her quarters to finish getting ready.
Finally, the end of this mythical queen came at the hands of her son, who, eager to seize power, organized a revolt against her.
Always alert, Semiramis remembered the occasion when an oracle at the temple of Jupiter Ammon predicted that when her son conspired against her, she would disappear from the earth and be welcomed among mortals.
Therefore, knowing that his time had come, he did not defy his destiny and abdicated the throne in favor of his son, then took his own life, thus fulfilling the will of the gods that had been transmitted to him by the gods.
It is believed that he was 62 years old at the time and had reigned for 42 years in Assyria, which is why legends say that after his death he turned into a dove and flew away from the palace with a flock of other birds.
Consequently, for the Assyrian people, Semiramis is immortal, having become a dove, which is a sacred animal.
Curiosities about the queen of Assyria
This powerful woman immortalized her name on various monuments, ordering that praises to her be written on them.
She also improved the structures of Babylon, eager to be better known than her late husband Nino, and to this end she employed two million workers.
However, it is also said that she ordered the construction of cities on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, along with aqueducts and roads.
Meanwhile, she expanded the empire’s dominion by conquering new territories, as well as marching to confront the Medes, where she built the palace in which she lived for a long time.
On the other hand, her most curious trait is that it is believed that it was Semiramis who first created the chastity belt, as she wanted to prevent the palace servants from seducing her son.
For his part, the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus claims that she was also the first person to castrate a man.
