Babylonian Literature
Ancient Babylonia - History of Babylonia
he once great city of Babylon, where the Jews were held captive
for 70 years, became a symbol of power, materialism, and cruelty.
The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient land of Babylonia in
southern Mesopotamia. It was situated on the Euphrates River about 50 miles south of
modern Baghdad, just north of what is now the modern Iraqi town of al-Hillah.
The tremendous wealth and power of this city, along with its monumental size and appearance, were certainly considered a Biblical myth, that is, until its foundations were unearthed and its riches substantiated during the 19th century. Archaeologists stood in awe as their discoveries revealed that certain stories in the Bible were an actual situation that had happened in time.
A quick overview of the writings of the prophet Isaiah in the Bible, especially chapter 13, reveals some predictions concerning Babylon that stagger the imagination.
The Word "Babylon"
The Location of Babylon Babylon lies in the land of Shinar as revealed in the Bible (Gen 10:10) and its general location has never been disputed. See Geography
The Bible reveals that all false systems of religion began in the land of
Babylon and will have their consummation from the spirit of Babylon in the last
days. It is interesting to note that every organized system of religion in the
world today has traces of ancient Babylon. The Bible records in Genesis 10:10,
that, after the great flood, all men spoke one common language and a man named
Nimrod built a city and established a common religion. Nimrod was a descendant of
Noah’s son, Ham. Genesis 11:1-9 describes the building of the city and its famous
tower "whose top may reach unto heaven." It also records how God
came down and punished the people’s arrogance by creating a confusion of
different languages and possibly their
racial distinctions. This way man would be forced to obey God’s original
command to "be fruitful and fill the whole earth." It is
interesting that the materials used to build the Tower of Babel were the
same as those
employed for the construction of the great ziggurat of Babylon and
similar
ziggurats, according to ancient building inscriptions.
The Early Growth of Babylon
There is evidence that man has lived in this area of Mesopotamia since the
beginning of civilization. The first records indicate that Babylon was established
as a city around the 23rd century BC. Before this it was a provincial capital
ruled by the kings of the city of Ur. Then came the migration of the Amorites.
Quick Overview of Babylonian History Babylonia (pronounced babilahnia) was an ancient empire that existed in the Near East in southern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. Throughout much of their history their main rival for supremacy were their neighbors, the Assyrians. It was the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who destroyed Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and carried God’s covenant people into captivity in 587 BC.
The Bible reveals much about the Babylonians all the way back from the time of Hammurapi (2000 BC) to the fall of Babylon (about 500 BC). Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the Babylonians, their people, culture, religion, military power, etc.
Babylonia was a long, narrow country about 40 miles wide at its widest point and having an area of about 8,000 square miles. It was bordered on the north by Assyria, on the east by Elam, on the south and west by the Arabian desert, and on the southeast by the Persian Gulf.
The earliest known inhabitants of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians, whom the Bible refers to as the people of the "land of Shinar" (Gen 10:10). Sargon, from one of the Sumerian cities, united the people of Babylonia under his rule about 2300 B.C. Many scholars believe that Sargon might have been the same person as Nimrod (Gen 10:8).
Quick Overview of Babylonian History Babylonia (pronounced babilahnia) was an ancient empire that existed in the Near East in southern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. Throughout much of their history their main rival for supremacy were their neighbors, the Assyrians. It was the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who destroyed Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and carried God’s covenant people into captivity in 587 BC.
The Bible reveals much about the Babylonians all the way back from the time of Hammurapi (2000 BC) to the fall of Babylon (about 500 BC). Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the Babylonians, their people, culture, religion, military power, etc.
Babylonia was a long, narrow country about 40 miles wide at its widest point and having an area of about 8,000 square miles. It was bordered on the north by Assyria, on the east by Elam, on the south and west by the Arabian desert, and on the southeast by the Persian Gulf.
The earliest known inhabitants of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians, whom the Bible refers to as the people of the "land of Shinar" (Gen 10:10). Sargon, from one of the Sumerian cities, united the people of Babylonia under his rule about 2300 B.C. Many scholars believe that Sargon might have been the same person as Nimrod (Gen 10:8).
Artists Depiction of the Ziggurat at Ur
Around 2000 BC Hammurapi emerged as the ruler of Babylonia. He expanded the borders of the Empire and organized its laws into a written system, also known as the Code of Hammurapi. About this time Abraham left Ur, an ancient city located in lower Babylon, and moved to Haran, a city in the north. Later, Abraham left Haran and migrated into the land of Canaan under God's promise that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen 12).
Alongside of Babylonia there must also be a mention of Assyria, which bordered Babylonia on the north. Assyria's development was often intertwined with the course of Babylonian history. About 1270 BC, the Assyrians overpowered Babylonia. For the next 700 years, Babylonia was a lesser power as the Assyrians dominated the ancient world.
Around 626 BC, Babylonian independence was finally won from Assyria by a leader named Nabopolassar. Under his leadership, Babylonia again became the dominant imperial power in the Near East and thus entered into her "golden age." In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, the son of Nabopolassar, became ruler and reigned for 44 years. Under him the Babylonian Empire reached its greatest strength. Using the treasures which he took from other nations, Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon, the capital city of Babylonia, into one of the leading cities of the world. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon were known to the Greeks as one of the seven wonders of the world.
As previously mentioned, in 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and
carried the leading citizens of the Kingdom of Judah as prisoners to Babylon. The
Hebrew prophet Jeremiah had foretold that the Jews would be free to return
home to Jerusalem after 70 years. The Lord had encouraged His people through
Ezekiel and Daniel who were also captives in Babylon. During this 70 year period of
captivity, the Persians conquered Babylonia, and the Babylonians passed from
the scene as a world power.
Throughout the long period of Babylonia history, the Babylonians achieved a high level of civilization that made an impact on the whole known world. Sumerian culture was its basis, which later Babylonians regarded as traditional. In the area of religion, the Sumerians already had a system of gods, each with a main temple in each city. The chief gods were Anu, god of heaven; Enlil, god of the air; and Enki or Ea, god of the sea. Others were Shamash, the sungod; Sin, the moon-god; Ishtar, goddess of love and war; and Adad, the storm-god. The Amorites promoted the god Marduk at the city of Babylon, so that he became the chief god of the Babylonian religion, starting around 1100 BC.
Babylonian religion was temple-centered, with elaborate festivals and many different types of priests, especially the exorcist and the diviner, who mainly were trained to drive away evil spirits.
Babylonian literature was mainly dominated by mythology and legends. Among these was a creation myth written to glorify their god Marduk. According to this myth, Marduk created heaven and earth from the corpse of the goddess Tiamat. Another work was the Gilgamesh Epic, a flood story written about 2000 BC. Scientific literature of the Babylonians included treatises on astronomy, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, botany, and nature.
One of the main aspects of Babylonian culture was a codified system of law.
Hammurapi’s famous code was the successor of earlier collections of laws going back to
about 2050 BC. The Babylonians used art for the national celebration of great
events and glorification of the gods. It was marked by stylized and symbolic
representations, but it expressed realism and spontaneity in the depiction of
animals. 
The Old Testament contains many references to Babylonia. Gen 10:10 mentions
four Babylonian cities, Babel (Babylon), Erech (Uruk), Accad (Agade) and Calneh.
These, along with Assyria, were ruled by Nimrod.
The History of Babylonia
Traditionally the history of Babylonia has been broken down into three major
periods:
Also See:
Also See:
Little is known about events during the early centuries of the first millennium BC because of the continual invasions by the Aramaeans. Though these people caused much disruption they eventually settled down and became part of Babylonian society. Because of them some changes did occur, for example the Aramaic language soon replaced Babylonian as a common language. Babylonian continued to be written and spoken by the educated classes.
Conclusion Babylonian cultural achievements left a major mark upon the entire ancient world, and particularly on the Hebrews and the Greeks. Even present-day civilization is indebted culturally to Babylonian civilization to some extent. Babylonian influence is pervasive throughout the works of such Greek poets as Homer and Hesiod, in the geometry of the Greek mathematician Euclid, in astronomy, in astrology, and in heraldry. Most of the Jews in the world today study from the Babylonian Talmud which was written by Jewish rabbi’s in ancient Babylon. Yet it is amazing that such a powerful kingdom and such a culturally developed city should perish from the face of the earth as foretold in the Bible.
Religion
Also see:
Law & Justice
Shamash, the Sun God, was their God of Law and Justice
A Witness of a Crime was to Take an Oath Before his God
Serious Crimes were Punishable by Drowning or Burning
Hammurapi's Code Contained about 250 laws
"lex talionis" Means An Eye for an Eye
King & State
Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Image of Baal and his Golden Table
(Both Weighed over 50,000 lbs of Solid Gold.)
Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was considered by Herodotus
to be the most magnificent building ever erected on earth.
(Both Weighed over 50,000 lbs of Solid Gold.)
Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was considered by Herodotus
to be the most magnificent building ever erected on earth.
Nebuchadnezzar had 2 Golden Lions and
a Solid Gold Human Figure (18 feet high)
Economy & Social Structure
Houses made of Sun-dried Brick
They Raised Cattle and Sheep
The Main Crop was Barley
Science
We Owe Much of our Calendar System to the Babylonians
The Babylonians Measured Time with a Water or Sun Clock
The Babylonian Numerical System was Sexagesimal (Base 60)
60 Minutes in an Hour
360 Degrees in a Circle
Archaeology
Babylonia
The modern recovery of the history of Babylonia began in the 19th century,
following in the wake of the great archaeological discoveries in Assyria. Although
initially the finds were not as spectacular as those in the northern region,
the gradual exploration of Babylonia has awakened knowledge of its great
civilization, which has developed throughout the 20th century.
Mounds
At the present time the area is filled with ruin-hills or mounds of
accumulation of debris, which reveal the sites of ancient cities. Some of these cities
were destroyed in a very early era, and were never rebuilt. Others were occupied
for millenniums, and their history extends far into the Christian era. The
antiquities generally found in the upper stratum of the mounds which were occupied
up to so late a period, show that they were generally inhabited by the Jews,
who lived there after the Babylonians had disappeared.
Excavations
There has been literally hundreds of thousands of inscriptions on clay and
stone discovered on various sites in Iraq.
At Tello more than 60,000 tablets were found, belonging largely to the
administrative archives of the temple of the 3 rd millennium BC.
At Nippur about 50,000 inscriptions were found, many of these also belonging
to temple archives. But about 20,000 tablets and fragments found in that city
came from the library of the school of the priests, which had been written in the
3 rd millennium BC.
At Sippar, fully 30,000 tablets were found, many being of the same general
character, also representing a library.
At Delehem and Djokha, temple archives of the same period as those found at
Tello have come to light in great numbers, through the illicit diggings of Arabs.
Babylon, Borsippa, Kish, Erech and many other cities have yielded to the
explorer and the Arab diggers inscribed documents of every period of Babylonian
history, and embracing almost every kind of literature, so that the museums and
libraries of America and Europe have stored up unread inscriptions numbering
hundreds of thousands. Many also are in the possession of private individuals.
The Ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
The Ruins of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon
Travelers and explorers have been drawn to Babylon for centuries, but serious
archaeological research did not start until the mid 19th century. Much of the
more recent work was carried out by German teams, but in the last few decades
the task has been taken over by the Iraqi government. Almost everything that has
been excavated relates to the great city built by Nebuchadnezzar II. The change
in the course of the Euphrates River and a rise in the water table, along with
the fact that king Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city so thoroughly, means that
very little from before his time has been found or is likely to be.
Many inscriptions in cuneiform have been found, which describe the city. There
is also an account by the Greek historian Herodotus, who visited the city of
Babylon in about 460 BC. These make it possible to attempt a reconstruction of
Babylon in the height of its glory.
There was a vast double wall on both sides of the Euphrates River with 8 gates, at least one of which, the Ishtar Gate, was faced with glazed bricks depicting bulls and dragons. From the Ishtar Gate ran the Processional Way – a wide paved road flanked by walls decorated with glazed and gilded bricks showing lions and dragons, which led to the Temple of Marduk and the adjacent Tower of Babel ziggurat which reached to 300 feet high.
There were 4 other temples, and west of the Ishtar Gate stood 2 palace complexes. The German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, who excavated the site from 1899 to 1917, found vaults in one of these palaces which he believed to be the foundations of the legendary Hanging Gardens.
There was a vast double wall on both sides of the Euphrates River with 8 gates, at least one of which, the Ishtar Gate, was faced with glazed bricks depicting bulls and dragons. From the Ishtar Gate ran the Processional Way – a wide paved road flanked by walls decorated with glazed and gilded bricks showing lions and dragons, which led to the Temple of Marduk and the adjacent Tower of Babel ziggurat which reached to 300 feet high.
There were 4 other temples, and west of the Ishtar Gate stood 2 palace complexes. The German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, who excavated the site from 1899 to 1917, found vaults in one of these palaces which he believed to be the foundations of the legendary Hanging Gardens.
The present site consists of several mounds which cover the remains of
Nebuchadnezzar’s summer palace, the Ishtar Gate and a further palace complex, the Temple of
Marduk and the ziggurat, and a residential area. A reconstruction has been made
of the Ishtar Gate, and other works are being carried out by the Iraqi
government.
Biblical History
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