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Babylon was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about 85 kilometres (55 miles) south of modern day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-speaking region of Babylonia .
The city, owing to its prestigious and ancient history, continued to be an important site, however, with a large population, defensible walls and a functioning local cult for centuries. [3] The Babylonians worshipped the gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon and the citizens of Babylon above all others revered the god Marduk, the patron deity of ...
The names of the city walls were switched, with Imgur-Enlil and Nimit-Enlil in Babylon while Imgur-Marduk and Nimit-Marduk were in Nippur. [45] A first millennium bilingual hymn to Nippur links Babylon and Nippur together: Nippur is the city of Enlil, Babylon is his favorite. Nippur and Babylon, their meaning is the same. [36]
[5] [9] The Hittites proceeded to sack the city of Babylon which ended the Hammurabi dynasty and Old Babylonian period. [6] [5] [1] However, the Hittites chose not to subjugate Babylon or the surrounding regions and instead withdrew from the conquered city up the Euphrates River to their homeland "Hatti-land". [1]
According to the proclamation, as a result of these offenses, the god Marduk abandoned Babylon and sought a more righteous king. Marduk called forth Cyrus to enter Babylon and become its new ruler. [30] In [Nabonidus's] mind, reverential fear of Marduk, king of the gods, came to an end.
Xenophon, Herodotus, and Daniel agree that the city was taken by surprise, at the time of a festival, and with some (but apparently not much) loss of life. The Cyropaedia (4.6.3) states that a father and son were both reigning over Babylon when the city fell, and that the younger ruler was killed.
Marduk, the chief god, symbolizes order and kingship through his defeat of Tiamat in the Enuma Elish. The predominantly male pantheon indicates cultural androcentrism, with female deities holding limited independent power. Each god had a dedicated temple, reflecting the diversity and specialization of Babylonian religious practices.
Viceroy (or governor) of Babylon (šakkanakki Bābili) [4] – emphasises the political dominion of Babylon itself. [2] For much of the city's history, its rulers referred to themselves as viceroys or governors, rather than kings. The reason for this was that Babylon's true king was formally considered to be its national deity, Marduk.