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Babylonians lived in the ancient country of Mesopotamia, a
fertile plain located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers,
south of modern day Baghdad (Iraq). |
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Before
the Babylonians established themselves in Mesopotamia, Sumerians and
Akkadians inhabited this region.
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HISTORY
Around
2050-2000 BC, the great kingdom of the Sumerians was attacked by
external invaders. Sumeria had been a powerful kingdom in the western
part of Asia, and it had roughly occupied the land that was one
day to become Babylonia.
The history of Babylonia is considered to have started with Hammurabi,
who became the king of the city of Babylon in 1792 BC. Hammurabi
enlarged his kingdom and established a vast kingdom in the region
that had been formerly occupied by the Sumerians. However, the relationship
between the Babylonians and the Sumerians was similar to that which
existed between the Romans and the Greeks. Babylonian people were
very influenced by the older Sumerian culture.
Under the reign of Hammurabi's dynasty (that is called the First
Dynasty of Babylon), which lasted about 200 years, Babylonia entered
into a period of extreme prosperity and relative peace.
Between the 16th century and the 12th century BC other external
invaders (the Kassites, Assyrians and the Elamites) gained control
over Babylonia.
Towards the end of the 12th century BC, however, a Babylonian king,
Nebuchadnezzar, defeated the invaders and re-established the kingdom
of Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar added a good deal of land to Babylonia
and eventually attacked Assyria. His dynasty (called the Second
Dynasty of Babylon), helped by one of the most powerful tribes outside
Babylon, the Chaldeans, ruled Babylonia until 539 BC. This is when
the Persians conquered this region. Babylon fell to Persia and this
ended Babylonian independence and also the history of the ancient
Mesopotamian empires.
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RELIGION
The Babylonians believed in a pantheon consisting of powerful
immortal gods, each of whom ruled a particular aspect of the cosmos,
such as the earth, heaven, seas, mountains and rivers. Also, each
Babylonian had a personal god to whom prayers were addressed.
In Babylonia religion was an important aspect of life. Every day
sacrifices of food, drink or incense were offered to the gods. Each
of the important deities had a large temple in which he or she was
worshipped. Religious rituals were led by priests, a separate and
important class in Babylonian society. Temple services were generally
conducted in open courts containing fountains for washing oneself
and altars for sacrifices. However, only the high priest and a member
of the court were permitted to enter the inner part of the temple,
which contained the statues of gods or goddesses.
Babylonian religious ceremonies were impressive. Priests, musicians,
magicians, dream interpreters and astrologers were involved in their
preparation. The celebration of the new year at the spring equinox
was the most important religious festival of the year. |
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SOCIETY,
ECONOMY AND POLITICS
Babylon was one of the first urban civilizations. It had a dozen
urban centers surrounded by villages. The fertile soil of Mesopotamia
made agriculture the base of Babylonian economy.
A king, assisted by governors and other local administrators, was
the ruler. A remarkable collection of laws, known as the Code of
Hammurabi, ("An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth") regulated
the punishment that was inflicted upon citizens who misbehaved.
Babylonian society consisted of three classes: the upper strata
(called awilu), the low strata (called mushkenu), and the slaves
(called wardu). Babylonian women had some legal rights, such as
the right to hold property or to engage in business. Men, however,
were given more legal rights than women. They could quite easily
divorce their wives and sell their wives and children into slavery
if they could not provide for them. |
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CULTURE
Babylonians inherited many of the cultural and technical achievements
of the Sumerians. They used sophisticated techniques in irrigation
and agriculture. Babylonians were also skilled engineers. They used
the Sumerian counting system, which closely resembled the decimal
system used in much of the world today. They used an advanced system
of writing and developed a system of education similar to that created
by Sumerians, their predecessors. School were important cultural
centers, and the curriculum consisted primarily of copying and memorizing
information in both the Sumerian and Babylonian languages.
Babylonian artisans were skilled in metallurgy and in making fabrics,
cosmetics and perfumes. Babylonians also practiced medical surgery.
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| "The
Big Myth" © Distant Train 2002 |
