Babylonaica

   A history of Mesopotamia composed in the third century b.c. by Berossus, a Babylonian scholar who lived during the early years of Seleucid rule in the area. The work is unfortunately lost, but a few fragments survive in the form of quotations in the writings of later Greek and Roman historians. Apparently it consisted of three volumes. The first covered the region's geography and the origins of civilization; the second chronicled the Assyrian and Babylonian kings and their exploits down to the eighth century B.c.; and the third dealt with the fall of Assyria, the period of Persian domination, and Alexander's conquest of Persia. The loss of the Babylonaica left Herodotus's Histories as the principal surviving ancient account (outside of the annals and chronicles of various Mesopotamian kings) of the region's history.

   See also: Herodotus; historical accounts