Cuneiform cylinder: inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II describing the construction of the outer city wall of Babylon.

Cuneiform cylinder: inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II describing the construction of the outer city wall of Babylon, Neo-Babylonian, ca. 604-562 B.C., Mesopotamia, Babylon (?), Babylonian, Clay, 48.62 x 2.75 x 2.87 in. (12.35 x 7 x 7.3 cm), Clay-Tablets-Inscribed, I built a strong wall that cannot be shaken with bitumen and baked bricks.. I laid its foundation on the breast of the netherworld, and I built its top as high as a mountain.' This cylinder is one of many commemorating the extensive building program carried out by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 B. (Photo by: Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)