The Babylonians The Babylonians Code of Hammurabi Mr. Kilbourn The Babylonians Code of Hammurabi Babylonian Civilization The Downfall of Babylon

1st BABYLONIAN EMPIRE In 2000 B.C., Amorites invaded Mesopotamia. They overwhelmed the Sumerians, and established the empire of Babylon, located on the Euphrates River. The Babylonians were a powerful nation under the reign of Hammurabi, and obtained many resources which made it one of the greatest, most successful civilizations of all time!

Geography of Babylon Located in Southern Mesopotamia Near the Persian Gulf

The City of Babylon Massive walled city Network of Canals Vivid green crops 300 –foot high Ziggurats Ziggurats were multilevel towers that served as temples. Elaborate gates designed with dragons and bulls Main Babylonian god was Marduk

Babylon The Old Babylonian Period                                                                                                              Babylon The Old Babylonian Period High point was reign of King Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) united all of Mesopotamia through conquest During reign government controlled economy and passed comprehensive laws called the Hammurabi Code Wrote in Cuneiform Religion was adapted from Sumerian and Akkadian

The Babylonian Empire King named Hammurabi (ruled 1792-1750 B.C.) became the greatest ruler of this new empire. He made the city of Babylon his capital and called his empire Babylonia. The conquering of most of the Tigris and Euphrates dismantled city-states and brought the region under one rule.

Hammurabi Code Code reinforced “An eye for an eye” mentality Laws focused on property rights, slaves, children and women’s rights, murder, theft and marriage Punishment differed based on a person’s social class

Hammurabi Code Laws were introduced for two main reasons To establish order in a land in constant conflict To represent a king’s beliefs of justice Several laws were written to protect the poor and powerless from abuse

Babylonian Women Had some legal and economic rights, including property rights. Women could be merchants or even scribes.

Babylon Accumulates Great Wealth Its relative location on the Persian Gulf and the Cross Roads of Asia made it a natural for trade Beginning of the Silk Road Its merchants bought and sold cotton cloth from India and spices from Egypt When they conquered, they took wealth “the bounty of war”

Babylonian Mathematics Babylonians used advance mathematics like algebra and geometry They used linear and quadratic equations Adopted Sumerian mathematics because it was sound Studied and made observations of natural phenomena Invented Square Roots

Scientific Advancements Their astronomers, scholars who studied the stars and planets, developed a lunar calendar. The calendar provided for a 12-month year, a 7-day week and a 24-hour day. Babylon contained a ziggurat that was over 300 feet tall which enabled astronomers to get a better look at the atmosphere.

Scientific Advancements Continued Chaldean astronomers began to study the position and change of the stars and planets visible in the sky. Astronomers soon concluded that the sun, moon, Earth, and five other planets belonged to the same solar system. The Babylonians’ observations formed the basis of astrology and astronomy in our world. The Babylonians adopted much of their culture from the Sumerians… #60, Agriculture Techniques, Irrigation Systems, Ziggurats

The ancient city of Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, must have been a wonder to the traveler's eyes. "In addition to its size," wrote Herodotus, a historian in 450 BC, "Babylon surpasses in splendor any city in the known world."

Herodotus claimed the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high. Wide enough, he said, to allow a four-horse chariot to turn. The inner walls were "not so thick as the first, but hardly less strong." Inside the walls were fortresses and temples containing immense statues of solid gold. Rising above the city was the famous Tower of Babel, an unfinished temple to the god Marduk, that seemed to reach to the heavens

Hanging Garden of Babylon One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Downfall of Babylon After Hammurabi died, no strong ruler emerged to take his place Babylon saw a period of no growth Period of famines, disease and nomadic invasions plagued Babylon Hittites and Assyrians invade and conquer bits of Babylon until little remains of the Empire

Downfall of Babylon 1595 B.C. Hittites invaded city of Babylon and conquer it Hittites introduced international commerce by trading in the Mediterranean region Modified Hammurabi Code and made it more lenient A large tribe called Kassites seized Babylon because the region was hard to protect Assyria then forcefully takes full control of the lands once controlled by Babylon