Chapter 7

7-2

A. Conquerers B. Called themselves Babylonians C. Babylon 1. capital city 2. population 1 million 3. world’s richest city 4. police force, postal system

I. Babylon A. Protected by huge brick walls that were guarded by archers B. Center of city stood palaces & temples C. Had a huge ziggurat in the center that stood 300 ft. high with a gold roof

II. King’s Palace A. Hanging gardens 1. layered beds of earth planted with large trees & masses of flowering vines & shrubs 2. looked like they were hanging in mid-air B. King Nebudchadnezzar built the gardens for his wife who missed her home land C. He also built a beautiful street near the palace for the people 1. paved with limestone & marble with walls of blue glazed tile 2. had a parade every year where they wheeled a statue of the god Marduk through the street

III. Outside city center A. Houses & marketplaces B. Artisans made pottery, cloth, & baskets C. Goods were sold to caravans – groups of traveling merchants D. Traders came from India & Egypt (made Babylon very rich)

IV. Astronomers A. Babylon was a center for science B. Astronomers – people who collect, study, and explain facts about the heavenly bodies C. Believed that the sky revealed the gods’ plans D. Made one of the first sundials. E. First to have a 7-day week *In 539 B.C., the Persians captured Babylon