Amytis of Media


Amuhia or Amytis of Media was the daughter or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares, and the wife of Nebuchadnezzar II.

Life

Amytis was either born to Cyaxares and his wife, or to Cyaxares's son, Astyages, and daughter-in-law, Aryenis.
Amytis married Nebuchadnezzar to formalize the alliance between the Babylonian and Median dynasties.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Tradition relates that Amytis' yearning for the forested mountains of the Median Empire led to the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as Nebuchadnezzar attempted to please her by planting the trees and plants of her homeland. Historical evidence, however, does not lend support to this tradition.

Etymology

The Median and Persian female name Amytis, attested only in the Greek form A´mytis, which perhaps may reflect an Old Persian *Umati-, "having good thought".