The Babylonian Civilization

Origins and Expansion

• The Babylonians:
  • Nomadic shepherd people (Amorites) from the northwest of Mesopotamia
  • Attracted by the fertile pastures and lands of the Sumerians
  • Hammurabi:
    • King of the Amorites
    • Conquered the Sumerians and unified city-states in 1800 BC
    • Capital: Babylon
    • Ruled with justice, respecting local languages and traditions

The City of Babylon

• Became rich, large, and beautiful
• Active commercial hub
• After Hammurabi:
  • 1100 BC: Assyrians conquered Babylon
  • 612 BC: Babylon liberated, the Second Babylonian Empire born
  • Nebuchadnezzar:
    • Period of maximum splendor
    • Decorated walls
    • Ishtar Gate
    • Hanging Gardens (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world)
• 539 BC: Conquest by the Persians

Babylonian Society

• Social classes:
  • Free men (priests, scribes, officials, landowners, merchants)
  • Semi-free men (farmers, shepherds)
  • Slaves (prisoners of war, without rights)

Code of Hammurabi

• First written collection of laws
• Engraved on a stone stele
• Stele preserved at the Louvre, Paris
• 282 laws, written in cuneiform
• Fundamental principles:
  • Law of retaliation ("an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth")
  • Punishment proportional to the crime
  • Law favorable to the rich

Scientific and Cultural Contributions

• Improvement of Sumerian techniques
• Studies in astronomy (predictions of eclipses and lunar phases)
• Invention of astrology
• Medicine:
  • Knowledge of 100+ diseases
  • Two healers: asipu (magic), asu (herbs and animal substances)

Religion

• Polytheism
• Hammurabi imposed the cult of Marduk as the supreme deity
• Unification of religious traditions

All clear guys, goodbye and see you in the next video!