Semiramis: Legendary Babylonian Queen

Join us for Thinker's Tavern on Thursdays 6:30 EST; details at This week's episode looks at Semiramis, the legendary Queen of the Assyrian Empire who is said to have taken over as regent when her husband died, and until her son came of age. Semiramis is the Greek name of the queen Shammuramat, and her history is controversial. Roman historians and geographers credit her with many architectural achievements, conquest of the Armenians, and stabilizing a crumbling empire after a civil war. Not surprisingly, other stories portray her as a lustful, power-hungry seductress. We look at what is written about Semiramis, and discuss the "threat" of the powerful, competent woman in patriarchal narratives.

You can listen to Semiramis: Legendary Babylonian Queen online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Semiramis: Legendary Babylonian Queen is an episode from Chthonia by Brigid Burke.

This episode is 56:26 long.

This episode was published on Jun 23, 2025.

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