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| The form ''Babylon'' is the Greek variant of ] '''Babilu''' (''bāb-]'', meaning "Gateway of the god(s)", translating ] '''Ka.].ra'''). In the ], the name appears as ''בבל'' ('']),'' interpreted by ] 11:9 to mean "confusion" (of languages), from the verb ''balbal'', "to confuse". | The form ''Babylon'' is the Greek variant of ] '''Babilu''' (''bāb-]'', meaning "Gateway of the god(s)", translating ] '''Ka.].ra'''). In the ], the name appears as ''בבל'' ('']),'' interpreted by ] 11:9 to mean "confusion" (of languages), from the verb ''balbal'', "to confuse". | ||
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| ==History== | |||
| The earliest source to mention Babylon may be a dated tablet of the reign of ] (ca. 24th century BC ]). The so-called "Weidner Chronicle" states that it was Sargon himself who built Babylon "in front of ]" (ABC 19:51). Another chronicle likewise states that Sargon "dug up the dirt of the pit of Babylon, and made a counterpart of Babylon next to Agade". (ABC 20:18-19). | |||
| Some scholars, including linguist ], have suggested that the name ''Babil'' is an echo of an earlier city name. According to Dr. Ranajit Pal, this city was in the East<ref></ref>. Herzfeld wrote about ''Bawer'' in Iran, which was allegedly founded by Jamshid; the name ''Babil'' could be an echo of Bawer. ] holds that the original Babylon is to be identified with ]. The Bible in ] 10 indicates that ] was the original founder of ] (Babylon). Joan Oates claims in her book ''Babylon'' that the rendering "Gateway of the gods" is no longer accepted by modern scholars. | |||
| Over the years, the power and population of Babylon waned. From around the 20th century BC, it was occupied by ], nomadic tribes from the west who were Semitic speakers like the Akkadians, but did not practice agriculture like them, preferring to herd sheep. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Old Babylonian period=== | |||
| The ] was established by Sumu-abum, but the city-state controlled little surrounding territory until it became the capital of ]'s empire (ca. 18th century BC). From that time onward, the city continued to be the capital of the region known as Babylonia — although during the 440 years of domination by the ] (1595–1185 BC), the city was renamed '''''Karanduniash'''''. | |||
| Hammurabi is also known for codifying the laws of Babylonia into the '']'' that was to have a profound influence on the region and on the rest of human history. | |||
| The city itself was built upon the ], and divided in equal parts along its left and right banks, with steep embankments to contain the river's seasonal floods. Babylon grew in extent and grandeur over time, but gradually became subject to the rule of ]. | |||
| It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from ca. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between ca. 612 and 320 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population above 200,000.<ref>Rosenberg, Matt T. , ''About.com''. Accessed ], ].</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| ===Assyrian period=== | |||
| During the reign of ] of Assyria, Babylonia was in a constant state of revolt, led by ], and suppressed only by the complete destruction of the city of Babylon. In 689 BC, its walls, temples and palaces were razed, and the rubble was thrown into the ], the sea bordering the earlier Babylon on the south. This act shocked the religious conscience of Mesopotamia; the subsequent murder of Sennacherib was held to be in expiation of it, and his successor ] hastened to rebuild the old city, to receive there his crown, and make it his residence during part of the year. On his death, Babylonia was left to be governed by his elder son ], who eventually headed a revolt in 652 BC against his brother in Nineveh, ]. | |||
| Once again, Babylon was besieged by the Assyrians and starved into surrender. Assurbanipal purified the city and celebrated a "service of reconciliation", but did not venture to "take the hands" of Bel. In the subsequent overthrow of the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonians saw another example of divine vengeance. (], "Babylon," ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 11th ed.) | |||
| ===Neo-Babylonian Chaldean Empire=== | |||
| {{Refimprovesect|date=June 2008}} | |||
| {{main|Neo-Babylonian Empire}} | |||
| ] | |||
| Under ], Babylon threw off the Assyrian rule in 626 BC and became the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Chaldean Empire.<ref>Bradford, Alfred S. (2001). ''With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World'', pp. 47-48. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0275952592.</ref><ref>Curtis, Adrian; Herbert Gordon May (2007). ''Oxford Bible Atlas'' Oxford University Press ISBN: 978-0191001581 p. 122 </ref><ref>von Soden, Wilfred; Donald G. Schley (1996). William B. Eerdmanns ISBN: 978-0802801425 p. 60 (</ref> | |||
| With the recovery of Babylonian independence, a new era of architectural activity ensued, and his son ] (604–561 BC) made Babylon into one of the wonders of the ancient world.<ref>Saggs, H.W.F. (2000). ''Babylonians'', p. 165. University of California Press. ISBN 0520202228.</ref> Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds, including rebuilding the ] ] and the construction of the ] — the most spectacular of eight gates that ringed the perimeter of Babylon. The Ishtar Gate survives today in the ] in ]. Nebuchadnezzar is also credited with the construction of the ] (one of the ]), said to have been built for his homesick wife ]. Whether the gardens did exist is a matter of dispute. Although excavations by German archaeologist ] are thought to reveal its foundations, many historians disagree about the location, and some believe it may have been confused with gardens in ]. | |||
| ===Persia captures Babylon=== | |||
| In 539 BC, the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to ], king of ], with an unprecedented military maneuver. The famed walls of Babylon were indeed impenetrable, with the only way into the city through one of its many gates or through the Euphrates, which ebbed beneath its thick walls. Metal gates at the river's in-flow and out-flow prevented underwater intruders, if one could hold one's breath to reach them. Cyrus (or his generals) devised a plan to use the Euphrates as the mode of entry to the city, ordering large camps of troops at each point and instructed them to wait for the signal. Awaiting an evening of a national feast among Babylonians (generally thought to refer to the feast of Belshazzar mentioned in Daniel V), Cyrus' troops diverted the Euphrates river upstream, causing the Euphrates to drop to about 'mid thigh level on a man' or to dry up altogether. The soldiers marched under the walls through thigh-level water or as dry as mud. The Persian Army conquered the outlying areas of the city's interior while a majority of Babylonians at the city center were oblivious to the breach. The account was elaborated upon by Herodotus,<ref>Herodotus, Book 1, Section 191</ref> and is also mentioned by passages in the Hebrew Bible.<ref>Isaiah 44:27</ref><ref>Jeremiah 50-51</ref> Cyrus claimed the city by walking through the gates of Babylon with little or no resistance from the drunken Babylonians. | |||
| Cyrus later issued ] permitting captive people, including the ], to return to their own land (as explained in the Old Testament), to allow their temple to be rebuilt back in ]. | |||
| Under Cyrus and the subsequent Persian king ], Babylon became the capital city of the 9th Satrapy (Babylonia in the south and Athura in the north), as well as a centre of learning and scientific advancement. In ] Persia, the ancient Babylonian arts of ] and ] were revitalised and flourished, and Babylonian scholars completed maps of constellations. The city was the administrative capital of the ], the preeminent power of the then known world, and it played a vital part in the history of that region for over two centuries. Many important archaeological discoveries have been made that can provide a better understanding of that era.<ref> ''The British Museum''. Accessed ], ].</ref><ref></ref> | |||
| The early Persian kings had attempted to maintain the religious ceremonies of ], but by the reign of ], over-taxation and the strains of numerous wars led to a deterioration of Babylon's main shrines and canals, and the disintegration of the surrounding region. Despite three attempts at rebellion in 522 BC, 521 BC and 482 BC, the land and city of Babylon remained solidly under Persian rule for two centuries, until ]'s entry in 331 BC. | |||
| ===Hellenistic period=== | |||
| ===Persian Empire period=== | |||
| {{main|Babylonia (Persian province)}} | |||
| Under the Parthian, and later, ] Persians, Babylon remained a province of the ] for nine centuries, until about 650 AD. It continued to have its own culture and peoples, who spoke varieties of ], and who continued to refer to their homeland as Babylon. Some examples of their cultural products are often found in the ], the ] religion, and the religion of the prophet ]. | |||
| == Reconstruction== | == Reconstruction== | ||
Revision as of 19:29, 17 November 2008
For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation).32°32′11″N 44°25′15″E / 32.53639°N 44.42083°E / 32.53639; 44.42083
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Babylon was a city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers (55 mi) south of Baghdad.
All that remains today of the ancient famed city of Babylon is a mound, or tell, of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in Iraq. Historical resources inform us that Babylon was at first a small town, that had sprung up by the beginning of the third millennium BC (the dawn of the dynasties). The town flourished and attained prominence and political repute with the rise of the first Babylonian dynasty. It was the "holy city" of Babylonia by approximately 2300 BC, and the seat of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 612 BC. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The form Babylon is the Greek variant of Akkadian Babilu (bāb-ilû, meaning "Gateway of the god(s)", translating Sumerian Ka.dingir.ra). In the Bible, the name appears as בבל (Babel), interpreted by Book of Genesis 11:9 to mean "confusion" (of languages), from the verb balbal, "to confuse".
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Reconstruction
In 1985, Saddam Hussein started rebuilding the city on top of the old ruins (because of this, artifacts and other finds may well be under the city by now), investing in both restoration and new construction. To the dismay of archaeologists, he inscribed his name on many of the bricks in imitation of Nebuchadnezzar. One frequent inscription reads: "This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq". This recalls the ziggurat at Ur, where each individual brick was stamped with "Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, who built the temple of Nanna". These bricks became sought after as collectors' items after the downfall of Hussein, and the ruins are no longer being restored to their original state. He also installed a huge portrait of himself and Nebuchadnezzar at the entrance to the ruins, and shored up Processional Way, a large boulevard of ancient stones, and the Lion of Babylon, a black rock sculpture about 2,600 years old.
When the Gulf War ended, Saddam wanted to build a modern palace, also over some old ruins; it was made in the pyramidal style of a Sumerian ziggurat. He named it Saddam Hill. In 2003, he was ready to begin the construction of a cable car line over Babylon when the invasion began and halted the project.
An article published in April 2006 states that UN officials and Iraqi leaders have big plans for restoring Babylon, making it a gem of a new Iraq as a cultural center complete with shopping malls, hotels, and perhaps a theme park: "One day millions of people will visit Babylon."
Further reading
- Joan Oates, Babylon, , Thames and Hudson, 1986. ISBN 0-500-02095-7 (hardback) ISBN 0-500-27384-7 (paperback)
See also
References
-
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - What I heard about Iraq in 2005 by Eliot Weinberger, London Review of Books
- The Ancient Middle Eastern Capital City — Reflection and Navel of the World by Stefan Maul ("Die altorientalische Hauptstadt — Abbild und Nabel der Welt," in Die Orientalische Stadt: Kontinuität. Wandel. Bruch. 1 Internationales Kolloquium der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft. 9.-1 0. Mai 1996 in Halle/Saale, Saarbrücker Druckerei und Verlag (1997), p.109-124.
- A military history of Mesopotamia
Notes
- Gettleman, Jeffrey. Unesco intends to put the magic back in Babylon, International Herald Tribune, April 21, 2006. Accessed April 19, 2008.
- McBride, Edward. Monuments to Self: Baghdad's grands projects in the age of Saddam Hussein, MetropolisMag. Accessed April 19, 2008.
External links
- Babylon wrecked by war, The Guardian, January 15, 2005
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Babylon
- History lost in dust of war-torn Iraq, BBC, April 25, 2005, mentions damage to Babylon.
- US marines offer Babylon damage apology, by Jonathan Charles BBC World Affairs correspondent, 14 April 2006
- reggae babylon, Babylon's usage in Reggae music
- Mirosław Olbryś, The Polish contribution to protection of the archaeological heritage in central south Iraq, November 2003 to April 2005, Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, Volume 8, Number 2, 2007 , pp. 88-104(17)