Babylon: The Gate of the Gods

"Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia, whose ruins lie in modern-day Hillah, Iraq, 59 miles (94 km) southwest of Baghdad. The name is derived from or bav-ilim, which in Akkadian meant 'Gate of God' (or 'Gate of the Gods'), given as Babylon in Greek. In its time, it was a great cultural and religious center and, at its height, the largest city in the world."

"The city was referenced with awe by ancient Greek writers and was reportedly the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its reputation has been tarnished by the many unfavorable references to it in the Bible, beginning with Genesis 11:1-9 and the story of the Tower of Babel, associated with the Etemenanki ('House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth'), the great ziggurat of Babylon."

"Scholar Paul Kriwaczek notes that Babylon 'can blame her evil repute squarely on the Bible' (167). Although none of these narratives speak well of the city, they were ultimately responsible for its fame (or infamy) in the modern age, which led to its rediscovery by the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey in 1899."

"Babylon was founded at some point prior to the reign of Sargon of Akkad (the Great, 2334-2279 BCE) and seems to have been a minor port city on the Euphrates River until the rise of Hammurabi (reign 1792-1750 BCE), who made it the capital of his Babylonian Empire. After Hammurabi's death, his empire quickly fell apart."

Babylon, located in modern-day Iraq near Baghdad, derives its name from the Akkadian 'bav-ilum' meaning 'Gate of God.' Once the world's largest city and a major cultural and religious center, Babylon was founded before Sargon of Akkad's reign and remained minor until Hammurabi made it his empire's capital around 1792 BCE. After Hammurabi's death, the empire collapsed, and the city was conquered by Hittites, then Kassites, and later Chaldeans. Though ancient Greek writers referenced it with awe and associated it with the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders, biblical narratives portrayed Babylon unfavorably, linking it to the Tower of Babel and appearing negatively in Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Revelation. These biblical references, despite their negative tone, ultimately preserved Babylon's fame and led to its archaeological rediscovery by Robert Koldewey in 1899.

Read at World History Encyclopedia