Introduction to Babylonia
Babylonia, an ancient country that occupied the area of southwestern Asia that is now Iraq. It was located in the fertile valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in southern Mesopotamia. Two great empires developed there—the Old Babylonian in the 18th century B.C. and the Neo-Babylonian (or Chaldean) in the seventh century B.C.
Babylonia began as a small kingdom centered around the city of Babylon and eventually spread over southern Mesopotamia. At its greatest extent, Babylonian power stretched from the Persian Gulf north into Assyria and west to the Mediterranean Sea. where it extended from Syria south to Egypt. In later times, Babylonia was also called Chaldea—after the Chaldeans, a Semitic people from the desert of Arabia who had settled there about the 11th century B.C.
Civilization
Babylonian culture was greatly influenced by earlier Mesopotamian peoples. Nomads before settling in Mesopotamia, the Babylonians adopted and preserved many elements of the civilization developed there more than a thousand years earlier by the Sumerians. Through commerce and conquest, the Babylonians helped spread Mesopotamian culture to surrounding lands.
Among the outstanding accomplishments of the Old Babylonian period was the Code of Hammurabi, a compilation of laws. It sheds light on Babylonian society, indicating, for example, that there were three classes—nobles, commoners, and slaves.
The Babylonians also made significant advances in the sciences. They made many accurate astronomical observations, recognized several constellations, predicted eclipses of the sun and of the moon, and performed complex mathematical calculations.
Babylonia's economy was based on farming and trading. The land was fertile, but the climate was hot and dry, and agricultural prosperity depended on the use of irrigation canals. The major crops were dates and grain. The Babylonians traded throughout the Near East and east into India, by river and sea and overland by caravans. Major imports were metals, lumber, and other raw materials. Textiles were among their major exports. Trade and industry were carried on largely by private enterprise.
The outstanding feature in each city was the temple tower, or ziggurat, which consisted of a series of terraces. The temple stood at the top of the tower. The Biblical Tower of Babel in Babylon was a ziggurat. Religion was a powerful force, and the priests sometimes held more authority than the kings. Many of the gods and religious practices of the Babylonians were adapted from those of the Sumerians. Marduk, the god of Babylon, was the country's chief deity. Babylonian literature dealt mainly with legends of heroes and gods. The Epic of Creation recounts Marduk's rise to preeminence.
History
The region that came to be known as Babylonia was occupied at a very early date. Little is known about the area, however, until after the arrival of the Sumerians, sometime before 3500 B.C. Along with the Akkadians, a Semitic people, the Sumerians dominated southern Mesopotamia until about 2000 B.C., when the region was overwhelmed by invaders. The Elamites came from the east, while the Amorites, a Semitic people, invaded from the west.
Babylon, virtually unknown during the earliest history of the region, began to rise to prominence in the 19th century B.C., when the Amorites founded a dynasty there. The kings of Babylon waged a long struggle with other city-states for dominance. In the 18th century B.C., the supremacy of Babylon was established under King Hammurabi (1792–1750 B.C.), and the city became the capital of an empire covering most of Mesopotamia. Following Hammurabi's death, portions of the empire broke away. In 1595 B.C. Babylon was raided by the Hittites, and the Amorite dynasty came to an end. When the Hittites withdrew, the Kassites gained control and ruled for more than 400 years. Meanwhile, to the north, Assyria was growing in power.
In the 12th century B.C., the Kassites were overthrown by Elamite invaders. A new native dynasty then regained power, and the kingdom survived until it was conquered by Assyria in 729 B.C. Babylonia gradually revived under the Chaldean Semites who had come several centuries earlier. They made several unsuccessful attempts to regain independence from Assyria.
Finally, in 612 B.C., the Chaldeans and the Medes toppled Assyria. The Chaldeans became the masters of Mesopotamia and also of most of the western part of the Assyrian empire. Under Nebuchadnezzar (605–562 B.C.), the Neo-Babylonian empire reached its high point of prosperity and power. During his reign, revolts broke out in Jerusalem. He destroyed the city and most of the Jewish leaders were taken to Babylon as captives. A troubled period under weak rule followed Nebuchadnezzar's death.
Babylonia's economy had been weakened by lavish spending and by foreign encroachment. Nabonidus (556–539 B.C.), the last king, aided a Persian revolt against the Medes, who had cut Babylonian trade routes to the east. The Persians, however, turned against Babylonia and further damaged trade by thrusting across the north into Cilicia. Meanwhile, Nabonidus had caused internal dissension by attempting to replace Marduk with another supreme god. When a Persian army attacked Babylon in 539 B.C., the city fell with little resistance. Babylonia was then incorporated into the vast realm of Cyrus the Great of Persia. Babylonia retained its cultural importance for several centuries, but never regained political independence.