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Map showing the Babylonian territory upon Hammurabi's ascension in 1792 BCE and upon his death in 1750 BCEDetail of theIshtar Gate
Babylon was acity-state of ancientMesopotamia, in present-dayIraq, about 85 kilometers (55mi) south ofBaghdad. All that remains of the original ancient city of Babylon today is a mound of broken mud-brick buildings and debris in the fertile Mesopotamian plain between theTigris andEuphrates rivers.
Babylon was at first a small town which sprung up at the beginning of the 3rd millenniumBCE. The town flourished and became well-known and important. Babylon eclipsedNippur as the 'holy city' of Mesopotamia. This was about from 612 to 539 BCE. It was the timeHammurabi first unified theBabylonian Empire. Babylon became thecapital city of theNeo-Babylonian Empire .
During the reign ofSennacherib ofAssyria, Babylonia was in a constant state of revolt, It was only pacified by the complete destruction of the city of Babylon. In 689 BCE, its walls, temples and palaces were razed, and the rubble was thrown into the Arakhtu, the river on the south side of the city. This act shocked the religious conscience of Mesopotamia. After themurder of Sennacherib by two of his sons, his successor Esarhaddon hurried to rebuild the old city. He was crowned there, and it was where he lived for part of the year.
In the later overthrow of the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonians saw another example of divine vengeance.[1]
Babylon threw off the Assyrian rule in 612 BCE and became the capital of the Neo-BabylonianChaldean Empire.[2][3][4]
With the recovery of Babylonian independence, a new era of building followed, andNebuchadnezzar II (604–561 BCE) made Babylon into one of the wonders of the ancient world.[5] Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds, including rebuilding theEtemenankiziggurat and the construction of the IshtarGate — the most spectacular of eight gates that ringed the perimeter of Babylon. All that was ever found of the Original Ishtar gate was the foundation and scattered bricks.
Nebuchadnezzar is also credited with the construction of theHanging Gardens of Babylon (one of theseven wonders of the ancient world), said to have been built for his homesick wifeAmyitis. Whether the gardens did exist is a matter of dispute. Historians disagree about the location, and some believe it may have been confused with gardens inNineveh.
In 539 BCE, the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell toCyrus the Great, the king ofPersia, in theBattle of Opis. The walls of Babylon were very high and very thick. The only way into the city was through one of its many gates. The Euphrates flowed next to the walls and Cyrus decided to use the river to get into the city. Cyrus' troops diverted the Euphrates river. This caused the level of the river to drop allowing soldiers to enter the city.
The Babylonians had held a celebration that evening. The Persian Army took over most of the city before the Babylonians had become aware that the Persians had gotten into the city. The account was reported byHerodotus,[6] and is also mentioned in theHebrew Bible.[7][8] Cyrus claimed the city by walking through the gates of Babylon with little or no resistance from the drunken Babylonians.
Cyrus later issueda decree allowing people, including theJews, to return to their own land. This is mentioned in theOld Testament. It allowed Jews' temple to be rebuilt inJerusalem.
Under Cyrus and the subsequent Persian kingDarius the Great, Babylon became the capital city of the 9th Satrapy (Babylonia in the south and Athura in the north). It was a centre of learning and scientific advancement. InAchaemenid Persia, the Babylonian arts ofastronomy andmathematics were revitalised. Babylonian scholars made maps of constellations. The city was the administrative capital of thePersian Empire. This empire was the most powerful of the then known world. Many important archaeological discoveries have been made that improve our understanding of that era.[9][10]
The early Persian kings had tried to keep the religious ceremonies ofMarduk. By the reign ofDarius III, over-taxation and numerous wars had led to a deterioration of Babylon's main shrines and canals, and the disintegration of the region. Despite three rebellions in 522 BCE, 521 BCE and 482 BCE, the land and city of Babylon remained under Persian rule for two centuries. In 331 BCE,Alexander the Great took over. Under theParthian Empire, Babylon continued to shrink and lose importance.
