History of Babylon
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Description
Book Introduction
Korea's first and only history book on the Babylonian city civilization
Babylon, a treasure trove of legends and history, yet unknown
Rediscover the great civilization of a city with 4,000 years of history that suddenly disappeared.
In the field of history, we often encounter worlds that seem familiar yet unknown, and names that seem familiar yet unfamiliar.
The most representative of these is ‘Babylon’.
Babylon is mentioned, compared, and borrowed countless times through various media, but what we know and can say about Babylon is only a few facts.
The Babylonian captivity, which marked the beginning of the diaspora and is well known through the pop group Boney M.'s song "By the Rivers of Babylon"; the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Tower of Babel incident, which challenged God and led to the division of the multilingual society; the Code of Hammurabi; the wealthy Babylonians' wisdom for making money...
For us, who are accustomed to the Sino-centric Eastern history and the Euro-centric Western history, ‘Babylon’ is an unfamiliar name and world that is difficult to even properly explain its location on a map.
In Korea, Babylon has been covered only in very limited portions of books on Mesopotamian civilization.
In particular, there are virtually no books introducing the ancient history of the Middle East.
The recently published 『A History of Babylon』 by Karen Lardner, a world-renowned scholar in the field of Mesopotamian history, is Korea's first and only history book on the Babylonian urban civilization.
This is the first domestic introduction to the religion and politics of Mesopotamian civilization, focusing on Babylon, the most important city in Mesopotamia, the city that sought to become the center of the world, and the city that many Mesopotamian powers and kings fought for.
The author focuses on the city of Babylon and its role in regional and world history.
And, as a scholar who has participated in numerous excavation and research projects, he guides us through vivid excavation sites of Babylon BC and Babylon as it reappears after two thousand years, taking us back and forth between the city of temples and present-day Babylon.
It also brings Babylon alive in the 21st century by bringing to life the characters and gods that shaped Babylon's cinema.
The author's latest materials and photographs, rarely seen in Korea, included throughout the book provide in-depth and interesting information and insights.
To improve the accuracy of the title and content, it was reviewed by Dr. Yoo Heung-tae, a domestic expert.
Babylon, a treasure trove of legends and history, yet unknown
Rediscover the great civilization of a city with 4,000 years of history that suddenly disappeared.
In the field of history, we often encounter worlds that seem familiar yet unknown, and names that seem familiar yet unfamiliar.
The most representative of these is ‘Babylon’.
Babylon is mentioned, compared, and borrowed countless times through various media, but what we know and can say about Babylon is only a few facts.
The Babylonian captivity, which marked the beginning of the diaspora and is well known through the pop group Boney M.'s song "By the Rivers of Babylon"; the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Tower of Babel incident, which challenged God and led to the division of the multilingual society; the Code of Hammurabi; the wealthy Babylonians' wisdom for making money...
For us, who are accustomed to the Sino-centric Eastern history and the Euro-centric Western history, ‘Babylon’ is an unfamiliar name and world that is difficult to even properly explain its location on a map.
In Korea, Babylon has been covered only in very limited portions of books on Mesopotamian civilization.
In particular, there are virtually no books introducing the ancient history of the Middle East.
The recently published 『A History of Babylon』 by Karen Lardner, a world-renowned scholar in the field of Mesopotamian history, is Korea's first and only history book on the Babylonian urban civilization.
This is the first domestic introduction to the religion and politics of Mesopotamian civilization, focusing on Babylon, the most important city in Mesopotamia, the city that sought to become the center of the world, and the city that many Mesopotamian powers and kings fought for.
The author focuses on the city of Babylon and its role in regional and world history.
And, as a scholar who has participated in numerous excavation and research projects, he guides us through vivid excavation sites of Babylon BC and Babylon as it reappears after two thousand years, taking us back and forth between the city of temples and present-day Babylon.
It also brings Babylon alive in the 21st century by bringing to life the characters and gods that shaped Babylon's cinema.
The author's latest materials and photographs, rarely seen in Korea, included throughout the book provide in-depth and interesting information and insights.
To improve the accuracy of the title and content, it was reviewed by Dr. Yoo Heung-tae, a domestic expert.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
Reviewer's note
Timeline
introduction
Chapter 1: The Time and Space of Babylon
Chapter 2: Babylon's Decaying Ruins and Rediscovery
Chapter 3: The Rise of the Capital of a Hegemonic Power: Hammurabi's Babylon
Chapter 4: Becoming a Source of Knowledge: Babylon under Burnaburiash II
Chapter 5: God Appoints a King for Babylon: Marduk's Babylon
Chapter 6: The Balance of Power Shifts: Babylon and Assyria
Chapter 7: Emergence at the Center of the World: Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon
Chapter 8: The Wings Are Finally Broken: Babylon and Persia
Chapter 9: Vanished from History: Babylon after Alexander the Great
Acknowledgements
Image and map source
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References
Search
Timeline
introduction
Chapter 1: The Time and Space of Babylon
Chapter 2: Babylon's Decaying Ruins and Rediscovery
Chapter 3: The Rise of the Capital of a Hegemonic Power: Hammurabi's Babylon
Chapter 4: Becoming a Source of Knowledge: Babylon under Burnaburiash II
Chapter 5: God Appoints a King for Babylon: Marduk's Babylon
Chapter 6: The Balance of Power Shifts: Babylon and Assyria
Chapter 7: Emergence at the Center of the World: Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon
Chapter 8: The Wings Are Finally Broken: Babylon and Persia
Chapter 9: Vanished from History: Babylon after Alexander the Great
Acknowledgements
Image and map source
main
References
Search
Detailed image
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Into the book
This book focuses on key elements of the long history of the city of Babylon.
As mentioned in the introduction, the history of the Middle East is a world history unfamiliar to us.
There is a regional unfamiliarity, and also an unfamiliarity with historical figures.
Nevertheless, if you follow the text carefully as a traveler exploring an unknown world, you will experience the history of rival empires within the Mesopotamian civilization centered around Babylon, and encounter the history of Babylon, a splendid and exotic city that has continued for thousands of years.
---From "The Supervisor's Note"
The floodplain extending from the three river valleys of Baghdad to the Persian Gulf is what we today call 'Babylonia'.
Babylonia is a name created by Greek-speaking people around the 6th century BC, when Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and the most important city in Iraq.
This name would have sounded somewhat unfamiliar to those who lived in early Babylon.
While it is true that Babylon was one of the important cities of the region from the early 2nd millennium BC, it was by no means always the most important.
The southern region of Iraq was, as American archaeologist Robert McCormick Adams called it, a "center of cities."
---From "Chapter 1: The Age and Space of Babylon"
The current center of the region is Baghdad, Iraq's largest city since the early Middle Ages.
But Babylon existed three thousand years before Baghdad, and by the time Hammurabi was king in the 18th century BC, Babylon had become the central city of Mesopotamia.
During this period of change, Babylon's geographic location on the banks of three rivers gave it immense commercial and strategic value, and neighboring powerful city-states vied for control of Babylon.
Hammurabi's father, Sinmuballit, struggled to defend his territory from the southern kingdom of Larsa, a political powerhouse in Mesopotamia.
---From "Chapter 3: Rising as the Capital of a Hegemonic Power"
According to this new concept, the king of Babylon, who received the kingship granted by Marduk, the lord of the earth, could also become ruler of the entire world.
If the king of Babylon really were to become the ruler of the whole world, the position of king of Babylon would have been a great attraction to those who dreamed of becoming rulers.
During the first millennium BC, many kings outside Babylon coveted the Babylonian throne, including the kings of Assyria, Chaldea, and Elam.
They were renowned as conquerors and wanted to become the sole kings of the entire world.
---From Chapter 5, God Appoints the King of Babylon
The famous [Babylonian World Map], created in the 6th century BC, depicts the world geometrically, with the city of Babylon at its center.
The drawing, drawn with circles and rulers, shows a large circular continent surrounded by an ocean, with eight triangles originally arranged to form a star around the ocean.
The continent is marked with several rivers, mountain ranges, cities, and regions such as Assyria, Urartu, and Bit-Yakin.
Cities and regions are marked with small circles and their names are written inside the circles.
The only exception is Babylon (represented by TIN.TIR.KI).
The city was marked by a square across the Euphrates River.
Although Babylon is shown somewhat north of the continent and the center of the world, it is the most prominent place on the map.
This map reflects the world view of around 600 BC, when Babylon had established hegemony in the Middle East and its long-time rivals, Assyria and Bit-Yakin, were in decline.
---From "Chapter 7: Blossoming at the Center of the World"
Many of the constellations and zodiac signs we use today are a legacy of Babylon.
Additionally, the sexagesimal system (Chapter 1) is used as the basis for dividing our every moment into hours, days, months, and years.
Next time you check the time, think of Babylon.
As mentioned in the introduction, the history of the Middle East is a world history unfamiliar to us.
There is a regional unfamiliarity, and also an unfamiliarity with historical figures.
Nevertheless, if you follow the text carefully as a traveler exploring an unknown world, you will experience the history of rival empires within the Mesopotamian civilization centered around Babylon, and encounter the history of Babylon, a splendid and exotic city that has continued for thousands of years.
---From "The Supervisor's Note"
The floodplain extending from the three river valleys of Baghdad to the Persian Gulf is what we today call 'Babylonia'.
Babylonia is a name created by Greek-speaking people around the 6th century BC, when Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and the most important city in Iraq.
This name would have sounded somewhat unfamiliar to those who lived in early Babylon.
While it is true that Babylon was one of the important cities of the region from the early 2nd millennium BC, it was by no means always the most important.
The southern region of Iraq was, as American archaeologist Robert McCormick Adams called it, a "center of cities."
---From "Chapter 1: The Age and Space of Babylon"
The current center of the region is Baghdad, Iraq's largest city since the early Middle Ages.
But Babylon existed three thousand years before Baghdad, and by the time Hammurabi was king in the 18th century BC, Babylon had become the central city of Mesopotamia.
During this period of change, Babylon's geographic location on the banks of three rivers gave it immense commercial and strategic value, and neighboring powerful city-states vied for control of Babylon.
Hammurabi's father, Sinmuballit, struggled to defend his territory from the southern kingdom of Larsa, a political powerhouse in Mesopotamia.
---From "Chapter 3: Rising as the Capital of a Hegemonic Power"
According to this new concept, the king of Babylon, who received the kingship granted by Marduk, the lord of the earth, could also become ruler of the entire world.
If the king of Babylon really were to become the ruler of the whole world, the position of king of Babylon would have been a great attraction to those who dreamed of becoming rulers.
During the first millennium BC, many kings outside Babylon coveted the Babylonian throne, including the kings of Assyria, Chaldea, and Elam.
They were renowned as conquerors and wanted to become the sole kings of the entire world.
---From Chapter 5, God Appoints the King of Babylon
The famous [Babylonian World Map], created in the 6th century BC, depicts the world geometrically, with the city of Babylon at its center.
The drawing, drawn with circles and rulers, shows a large circular continent surrounded by an ocean, with eight triangles originally arranged to form a star around the ocean.
The continent is marked with several rivers, mountain ranges, cities, and regions such as Assyria, Urartu, and Bit-Yakin.
Cities and regions are marked with small circles and their names are written inside the circles.
The only exception is Babylon (represented by TIN.TIR.KI).
The city was marked by a square across the Euphrates River.
Although Babylon is shown somewhat north of the continent and the center of the world, it is the most prominent place on the map.
This map reflects the world view of around 600 BC, when Babylon had established hegemony in the Middle East and its long-time rivals, Assyria and Bit-Yakin, were in decline.
---From "Chapter 7: Blossoming at the Center of the World"
Many of the constellations and zodiac signs we use today are a legacy of Babylon.
Additionally, the sexagesimal system (Chapter 1) is used as the basis for dividing our every moment into hours, days, months, and years.
Next time you check the time, think of Babylon.
---From Chapter 9, Disappearing from History
Publisher's Review
Babylon, a model of global life today
The great traces of history and interesting stories they left on the sand
We encounter Babylon as we travel back and forth between the past and the present.
The author tells fascinating stories about Babylon, focusing on the kings and cultural elements that are key to understanding Babylon: King Hammurabi, King Burnaby II, King Nebuchadnezzar II, clay tablets and cuneiform inscriptions, gods including the chief god of Babylon, Marduk, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. These stories transcend time and space in the traces of history they left behind in the sand.
The first two chapters talk about the background space.
Chapter 1 deals with the time and space Babylon occupies within the long history of ancient Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia refers to the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which corresponds to present-day Iraq.
Chapter 2 tells of the declining ruins and rediscovery of Babylon.
The following five chapters trace the history of Babylon from the 18th century BC to the 6th century BC.
Chapter 3 examines how Babylon emerged as the capital of a new political powerhouse with the ascension of Hammurabi to the throne in the 18th century BC, while Chapter 4 examines how Babylon became the focal point of a vast intellectual and political network under Burnaburiash II in the 14th century BC.
Chapters 5 and 6 cover the political ups and downs of Babylon during the political fragmentation of southern Mesopotamia between the 12th and 7th centuries BC.
Chapter 5 examines Babylon from an internal perspective, focusing on Marduk, the patron god of the city, who was re-evaluated as the true master of the world during this period. Chapter 6 examines Babylon's relationship with Assyria, a powerful kingdom that coveted Babylon's knowledge and royal authority, from an external perspective.
Chapter 7 explores the imperial capital, renovated under Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BC.
Chapter 8 deals with the fate of Babylon, which was cut short by the Persian invasion in 539 BC, and Chapter 9 examines the history of Babylon after its conquest by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.
In the preface, the author summarizes the contents of this book as follows:
“The history of Babylon is a story of kings and nobles, a story of temples and gods, a story of knowledge and education.
It is also a story of aspirations for the future and passion for the past, but also a story of a city's identity and the external forces that surround it, a story of grand architecture and decaying mudbricks.
…Babylon has stood at the center of world history for two thousand years and represents for us today the epitome of global life.”
A new perspective on the history of a familiar name!
There is still so much of the world we need to know.
It is no exaggeration to say that the history of Mesopotamia is the history of those who sought to take over Babylon, the central city with outstanding civilization and culture.
The king of Babylon, who received the kingship granted by Marduk, the god of Babylon and lord of the earth, could become the ruler of the entire world.
So many kings outside Babylon coveted the throne of Babylon and tried to achieve that desire.
Among them were the kings of Assyria, Chaldea, Elam, and Persia, who sought to make a name for themselves as conquerors and become the sole rulers of the whole world.
Babylon also enjoyed great cultural influence for two thousand years as a center of learning, poetry, and the arts.
Building water supply facilities in a constantly changing environment required sophisticated arithmetic skills, which led to the creation of the sexagesimal system, based on the number 60.
This sexagesimal system is still used today to measure angles and tell time.
In Babylon, astronomy was considered an important discipline because the constellations in the night sky were believed to represent the gods and their thoughts. Medicine was so developed that doctors from Babylon were welcomed even in neighboring countries.
The ability to tell time by looking at a clock and to identify the twelve constellations of the zodiac in the sky is a legacy of Babylon that still lives on today.
Babylon flourished as a city-state for two thousand years and became the central city of Mesopotamia. However, after the royal palace left Babylon in 305 BC, it never appeared again in world history. However, its brilliant name, far from fading from people's minds, has become a legend and has captivated many.
European intellectuals in the 19th century took a keen interest in ancient Babylon, deciphering cuneiform script, and Babylon finally came into the light of day in 1899 with the excavations of German archaeologist Robert Koldewey.
Saddam Hussein was so enthusiastic about the excavation and reconstruction of Babylon that the 'Babylon Archaeological Restoration Project' did not stop even during the Iran-Iraq War.
He even had bricks inscribed with his achievements used in the rebuilt southern palace.
He wanted to enjoy fame and glory like Nebuchadnezzar II, who made Babylon the center of the world and built a southern royal palace.
Author Karen Lardner presents the unfamiliar world of Babylon, a succinct yet profound and three-dimensional world that epitomizes history's recurring cycles of glory and humiliation, offering a fresh perspective and perspective on world history.
There is still so much of the world we need to know.
The great traces of history and interesting stories they left on the sand
We encounter Babylon as we travel back and forth between the past and the present.
The author tells fascinating stories about Babylon, focusing on the kings and cultural elements that are key to understanding Babylon: King Hammurabi, King Burnaby II, King Nebuchadnezzar II, clay tablets and cuneiform inscriptions, gods including the chief god of Babylon, Marduk, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. These stories transcend time and space in the traces of history they left behind in the sand.
The first two chapters talk about the background space.
Chapter 1 deals with the time and space Babylon occupies within the long history of ancient Mesopotamia.
Mesopotamia refers to the land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, which corresponds to present-day Iraq.
Chapter 2 tells of the declining ruins and rediscovery of Babylon.
The following five chapters trace the history of Babylon from the 18th century BC to the 6th century BC.
Chapter 3 examines how Babylon emerged as the capital of a new political powerhouse with the ascension of Hammurabi to the throne in the 18th century BC, while Chapter 4 examines how Babylon became the focal point of a vast intellectual and political network under Burnaburiash II in the 14th century BC.
Chapters 5 and 6 cover the political ups and downs of Babylon during the political fragmentation of southern Mesopotamia between the 12th and 7th centuries BC.
Chapter 5 examines Babylon from an internal perspective, focusing on Marduk, the patron god of the city, who was re-evaluated as the true master of the world during this period. Chapter 6 examines Babylon's relationship with Assyria, a powerful kingdom that coveted Babylon's knowledge and royal authority, from an external perspective.
Chapter 7 explores the imperial capital, renovated under Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BC.
Chapter 8 deals with the fate of Babylon, which was cut short by the Persian invasion in 539 BC, and Chapter 9 examines the history of Babylon after its conquest by Alexander the Great in 331 BC.
In the preface, the author summarizes the contents of this book as follows:
“The history of Babylon is a story of kings and nobles, a story of temples and gods, a story of knowledge and education.
It is also a story of aspirations for the future and passion for the past, but also a story of a city's identity and the external forces that surround it, a story of grand architecture and decaying mudbricks.
…Babylon has stood at the center of world history for two thousand years and represents for us today the epitome of global life.”
A new perspective on the history of a familiar name!
There is still so much of the world we need to know.
It is no exaggeration to say that the history of Mesopotamia is the history of those who sought to take over Babylon, the central city with outstanding civilization and culture.
The king of Babylon, who received the kingship granted by Marduk, the god of Babylon and lord of the earth, could become the ruler of the entire world.
So many kings outside Babylon coveted the throne of Babylon and tried to achieve that desire.
Among them were the kings of Assyria, Chaldea, Elam, and Persia, who sought to make a name for themselves as conquerors and become the sole rulers of the whole world.
Babylon also enjoyed great cultural influence for two thousand years as a center of learning, poetry, and the arts.
Building water supply facilities in a constantly changing environment required sophisticated arithmetic skills, which led to the creation of the sexagesimal system, based on the number 60.
This sexagesimal system is still used today to measure angles and tell time.
In Babylon, astronomy was considered an important discipline because the constellations in the night sky were believed to represent the gods and their thoughts. Medicine was so developed that doctors from Babylon were welcomed even in neighboring countries.
The ability to tell time by looking at a clock and to identify the twelve constellations of the zodiac in the sky is a legacy of Babylon that still lives on today.
Babylon flourished as a city-state for two thousand years and became the central city of Mesopotamia. However, after the royal palace left Babylon in 305 BC, it never appeared again in world history. However, its brilliant name, far from fading from people's minds, has become a legend and has captivated many.
European intellectuals in the 19th century took a keen interest in ancient Babylon, deciphering cuneiform script, and Babylon finally came into the light of day in 1899 with the excavations of German archaeologist Robert Koldewey.
Saddam Hussein was so enthusiastic about the excavation and reconstruction of Babylon that the 'Babylon Archaeological Restoration Project' did not stop even during the Iran-Iraq War.
He even had bricks inscribed with his achievements used in the rebuilt southern palace.
He wanted to enjoy fame and glory like Nebuchadnezzar II, who made Babylon the center of the world and built a southern royal palace.
Author Karen Lardner presents the unfamiliar world of Babylon, a succinct yet profound and three-dimensional world that epitomizes history's recurring cycles of glory and humiliation, offering a fresh perspective and perspective on world history.
There is still so much of the world we need to know.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: August 17, 2021
- Page count, weight, size: 330 pages | 544g | 145*222*20mm
- ISBN13: 9791190357715
- ISBN10: 1190357712
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