Babylonia

Casati reimagines the rise to power of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis. This tale charts the life and rise to power of Semiramis, the only female ruler of the Assyrian Empire.

Nothing about Semiramis's upbringing could have foretold her legacy or the power she would come to wield. A female ruler, once an orphan raised on the outskirts of an empire—no one in Ancient Assyria would bend to her command willingly. This is the tale of a woman who knew if she wanted power, she would have to claim it. No one was coming to save her.

There are whispers of her fame in Mesopotamian myth—Semiramis was a queen, a warrior, a commander and builder whose reputation reaches the proportions of Alexander the Great. Historical record, on the other hand, falls quiet.

Costanza Casati weaves myth and ancient history together to give Semiramis a voice, charting her ascent to a throne no one promised her.