Babylon

Babylon (also spelled Babylonia; Arabic: بابل) was an ancient city located in central Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates River, in what is now Iraq, south of the city of Baghdad. The city became the center of various kingdoms in early history, notably the Old Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian empires.

The name 'Babylon' derives from an Akkadian word meaning 'gate of the gods' (Bāb-ilim). The city is remembered for its legal system, the mathematics and astronomy developed by its scholars, and its monumental architecture, which included temples and ziggurats.

Location and environment

The ruins of the city lie in the southern plain of Iraq, near the modern city of Al-Hillah. The Euphrates River ran through the city, and fields were irrigated by canals cut for the purpose. Like other Mesopotamian cities, buildings were constructed of mud brick dried in the sun or baked, which caused many structures to collapse over time.

Political history

Babylon began as a small city. It gained power under King Hammurabi, who is associated with the legal system known as the Code of Hammurabi, inscribed on a stone stele. After periods of subjection to other kingdoms—including the Kassites and Assyria—it regained prominence during the Neo-Babylonian period, remembered for King Nebuchadnezzar II. It subsequently fell under the Achaemenid Persian empire and later came under Alexander the Great.

Culture, science, and religion

Babylonian scholars used cuneiform script written on clay tablets. They developed mathematics based on a base-60 (sexagesimal) system, which persists today in the division of hours and circles. Astronomy and the tracking of planetary movements were part of temple activities. The principal god of the city was Marduk, whose temple stood in the city center.

Legacy and antiquity

Babylon holds a prominent place in religious texts and literature, appearing in accounts of the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel, found within biblical tradition. Excavations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries uncovered many artifacts, including the Ishtar Gate, which was reconstructed in museums across Europe. The site was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List.