Babylonian empire
The Babylonian Empire lasted from 1800-1500 B.C.E. It is located 59 miles, (94 kilometers), away from present day Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. It was in Southern Mesopotamia, on the banks of the river Euphrates. Babylon is thought to have gotten it's name from ba-vil, a word in the Akkadian language at the time that meant "Gate of the Gods.' In the middle of Babylon was a ziggurat*.
Babylon had an estimated population of about 200,000 people. Babylonia had an estimated population of 1,000,000. (Babylonia was all of Mesopotamia, and Babylon was it's capital.) Inside Babylon, and other city-states, the wealthier families (or priests, landowners, and government) lived closer to the center of town, near the ziggurat, in larger, 2-story houses. Merchants lived farther away, towards the edges of the city-state, in smaller houses.
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great, founded Babylon. During the time that Sargon ruled, Babylon was not a huge city. Babylon only became big, and it's history very well known, once Hammurabi, the 6th king, took the thrown after his father, King Sin-Muballit, died. King Hammurabi ruled for 42 years. Hammurabi introduced an important development of Babylonia: laws, which were called Hammurabi's Code.
Babylon had an estimated population of about 200,000 people. Babylonia had an estimated population of 1,000,000. (Babylonia was all of Mesopotamia, and Babylon was it's capital.) Inside Babylon, and other city-states, the wealthier families (or priests, landowners, and government) lived closer to the center of town, near the ziggurat, in larger, 2-story houses. Merchants lived farther away, towards the edges of the city-state, in smaller houses.
Sargon of Akkad, also known as Sargon the Great, founded Babylon. During the time that Sargon ruled, Babylon was not a huge city. Babylon only became big, and it's history very well known, once Hammurabi, the 6th king, took the thrown after his father, King Sin-Muballit, died. King Hammurabi ruled for 42 years. Hammurabi introduced an important development of Babylonia: laws, which were called Hammurabi's Code.
*ziggurat: A ziggurat was a tall, rectangular tower at the center of a Mesopotamian city-state. Ziggurats were used as temples and could be up to 300 feet tall.
Hammurabi's code |
Hammurabi's Code was written in cuneiform* on steles** that were placed in public areas around Babylonia, and later all around Mesopotamia when Hammurabi ruled more land.
Hammurabi's Code varied when it came to social class and genders. One example of this is in laws 251-252 and 198-205. In 251 and 252, Hammurabi stated that the owner of an ox who kills a man must pay a different price depending on whether or not the man was a free man. In other laws women are not treated as highly as the men were. The 3 main social classes that were in the laws were land owners, free people who did not own land, and slaves.
251. If an ox be a goring ox, and it shown that he is a gorer, and he do not bind his horns, or fasten the ox up, and the ox gore a free-born man and kill him, the owner shall pay one-half a mina in money.
252. If he kill a man's slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina.
198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
200. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
201. If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a gold mina.
202. If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public.
203. If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or equal rank, he shall pay one gold mina.
204. If a freed man strike the body of another freed man, he shall pay ten shekels in money.
205. If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut off.
The laws were detailed and had harsh punishments that would not be carried out today. Hammurabi's Code also introduced the idea of a minimum wage, as seen in laws 257 and 258:
257. If any one hire a field laborer, he shall pay him eight gur of corn per year.
258. If any one hire an ox-driver, he shall pay him six gur of corn per year.
Hammurabi's Code was not the first set of laws, in fact there were two very similar sets of laws that predated his, but they were one of the earliest and most advanced and detailed laws. The laws were not the only thing on the steles, however. There was also a prologue, then the 282 laws, and finally an epilogue. To view the entire Hammurabi's Code (translate to English), click here.
*cuneiform: Cuneiform was the way of writing in Ancient Mesopotamia. It was written using a wedge-shaped characters and early wedge-shaped pens inscribed on clay tablets.
**stele: Steles were tall clay slabs or columns that people wrote on. Hammurabi's Code was written on steles that were placed around Babylonia.
Hammurabi's Code varied when it came to social class and genders. One example of this is in laws 251-252 and 198-205. In 251 and 252, Hammurabi stated that the owner of an ox who kills a man must pay a different price depending on whether or not the man was a free man. In other laws women are not treated as highly as the men were. The 3 main social classes that were in the laws were land owners, free people who did not own land, and slaves.
251. If an ox be a goring ox, and it shown that he is a gorer, and he do not bind his horns, or fasten the ox up, and the ox gore a free-born man and kill him, the owner shall pay one-half a mina in money.
252. If he kill a man's slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina.
198. If he put out the eye of a freed man, or break the bone of a freed man, he shall pay one gold mina.
199. If he put out the eye of a man's slave, or break the bone of a man's slave, he shall pay one-half of its value.
200. If a man knock out the teeth of his equal, his teeth shall be knocked out.
201. If he knock out the teeth of a freed man, he shall pay one-third of a gold mina.
202. If any one strike the body of a man higher in rank than he, he shall receive sixty blows with an ox-whip in public.
203. If a free-born man strike the body of another free-born man or equal rank, he shall pay one gold mina.
204. If a freed man strike the body of another freed man, he shall pay ten shekels in money.
205. If the slave of a freed man strike the body of a freed man, his ear shall be cut off.
The laws were detailed and had harsh punishments that would not be carried out today. Hammurabi's Code also introduced the idea of a minimum wage, as seen in laws 257 and 258:
257. If any one hire a field laborer, he shall pay him eight gur of corn per year.
258. If any one hire an ox-driver, he shall pay him six gur of corn per year.
Hammurabi's Code was not the first set of laws, in fact there were two very similar sets of laws that predated his, but they were one of the earliest and most advanced and detailed laws. The laws were not the only thing on the steles, however. There was also a prologue, then the 282 laws, and finally an epilogue. To view the entire Hammurabi's Code (translate to English), click here.
*cuneiform: Cuneiform was the way of writing in Ancient Mesopotamia. It was written using a wedge-shaped characters and early wedge-shaped pens inscribed on clay tablets.
**stele: Steles were tall clay slabs or columns that people wrote on. Hammurabi's Code was written on steles that were placed around Babylonia.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon |
Babylon Important Events Timeline |
Please read the timeline below from right to left/1800-1600 because all the years are B.C.E. Click on each event to read a brief description.
Babylonia began to fall shortly after King Hammurabi's death when his sons took the throne. They were not very strong leaders and in 1595 B.C.E., Kassites took over Babylon. They continued to rule for 400 more years.
Location of Babylon |