Alexis Gero November 15, 2012 History-2˚ Empire Essay
Today, we will be discussing the greatness of the Babylonian Empire, both old and new, which all together lasted for about 240 years. At its height, during the NeoBabylonians, the empire stretched over Israel, Lebanon, parts of Syria and Iraq, and southwest Turkey. The capital, Babylon, held one of the wonders of the ancient world. Though their reign was short, the Babylonians Bab ylonians’ accomplishments were many. Their advances in mathematics and the sciences created methods and concepts that are still used today. Now, we will jump back thousands of years to the time of o f the Babylonians. One of the concepts created by the Neo-Babylonians was the modern use of time, including the 60-second minute, the 60-minute hour, the 7-day week, and the first sundial. Over several decades, mathematicians and astronomers watched the movements of the sun and moon, calculating it into a time concept that has lasted for thousands of years. Eventually, this led to the creation of the first sundial, their interpretation of a clock. The Babylonians’ math system was based on the number six, while ours in based on ten. Their theory of time outlasted many man y others and remains intact today as the worldwide standard. Babylonians were also amazing architects. Their buildings were ma gnificent, with architecture that shocked the ancient world. J ust the structure of Babylon was a wonder. wond er. During the Neo-Babylonian period, the City was about three-miles wide, which was huge for the time, and was split down its middle by the Euphrates River. There were man y examples of wonderful architecture in Babylon, but the Hanging Gardens of Babylon has been a marvel for thousands of years. The gardens were a large area toward the center of the City, covered with exotic plant-life from all over Mesopotamia. Many still consider the gardens one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Lastly for today, we will discuss the military superiority of the Babylonian Empire. Though the Assyrians were considered the most formidable opponent in war during the time of ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonians were accomplished, too. During the time of the earlier empire, under the rule of Hammurabi, Babylonia stretched over only most of Iraq and parts of Syria. Though the area was small, it was tightly knit
and secure, thanks to the creation and enforcement of the Code of Hammurabi, which included about 300 laws that were written down and displayed for the public. The laws were amazingly specific and clear, dealing with every kind of criminal activity. Now fast forward to the time of the Neo-Babylonians, whose conquered area was much larger, and under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar II the Babylonians conquered most of Israel. They captured the royal family and burned the capital of Jerusalem to ruins. When the Jews rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar brought the majority of the population to Babylon. Though they were treated harshly by the Babylonians, many Jews chose to stay in Babylon after they were released. The Babylonians clearly left their mark on modern times in many ways. Their discovery of the concept of time has an impact today. Their architecture a rchitecture was sensational; some buildings still survive in Iraq. And the Code of Hammurabi was an accomplishment that many generations before had attempted and failed to achieve. Here is an empire whose legacy has outlasted time and is still studied for more information and guidance. These people can only be the Babylonians.
