Transcript Slide 1
Babylon – Present day Al Hillah, Iraq 62 miles south of Baghdad In 1985 Saddam Hussein started building on top of the ruins of ancient Babylon. He signed his name on the bricks, and wrote this; "This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq". The ziggurat of Ur had this stamped on every brick; "Ur-Nammu, king of Ur, who built the temple of Nanna.” This is at the Ishtar Gate; part of the wall that surrounded Babylon. This gate is said to have been Built by the next major ruler After Hammurabi, named Nebuchadnezzar II. Rebuilt ruins of Babylon in 2003. US troops built a military base right near, and on top of, some ruins. Hammurabi’s Code of Laws – created c. 1790 BC – written in Akkadian “…to render (give) good to the people, to make justice shine in the land, to destroy the evil and wicked, that the strong do not oppress (mistreat) the weak.” Created in about (circa ) 1790 BC, the Code of Laws was a set of 282 Babylonian Laws written by Hammurabi and his scribes. They were written in an Akkadian language. The stele, a large stone monument, was about 8 feet tall. It is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris. Prologue – Hammurabi introduces himself Laws – 282 laws, all just a couple sentences Epilogue – Hammurabi tells of his authority and prays these laws are followed. This is funny! If any one brings an accusation against a man, and the accused goes to the river and leaps into the river, if he sinks in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river proves that the accused is not guilty, and he escapes unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser. The 282 laws had similar characteristics... The laws were specific They said exactly what the punishment would be for the given crime They distinguished between social classes They protected the weak. They were often very harsh They followed the ‘eye for an eye’ philosophy The Law of Retaliation says that a punishment should equal the crime committed. The phrase “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” was not only used by Hammurabi, but by the Hebrews as well. “if a freeman has put out the eye of another freeman, they shall put out his eye.” If he breaks the bone of another freeman, they shall break his bone. “if he puts out the eye of a poor man, or breaks the bone of a Poor man, he shall pay 1 mina (17.5 oz of silver). if he puts out the eye of the slave of another freeman…, he shall pay half his price. Write 5 of your own laws for our school. They need to be written to sound ‘Babylonian.’ Make sure it is appropriate; don’t be too goofy and cross the line. “If a child shall throw a snowball at another child, he shall have a snowball thrown at him. If he shall throw a snowball at a teacher, he shall be sent in front of the snowball firing squad consisting of four teachers, and twenty-five snowballs each.” Eventually, the powerful empire of Babylonia weakens, Hammurabi dies, and the ______________________ conquer Babylon. Led by Ashurbanipal, the Assyrians take most of the fertile crescent. They even built a huge library at their capital city of ______________. Babylon would later begin to expand and regain power. By 605 BC _________________ was crowned king, and he immediately began taking over what was the Assyrian Empire. He had the Babylonians build walls, finish the great ziggurat, and maybe even built the Hanging Gardens. Eventually, the powerful empire of Babylonia weakens, Hammurabi dies, and the Assyrians conquer Babylon. Led by Ashurbanipal, the Assyrians take most of the fertile crescent. They even built a huge library at their capital city of Ninevah. Babylon would later begin to expand and regain power. By 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar II was crowned king, and he immediately began taking over what was the Assyrian Empire. He had the Babylonians build walls, finish the great ziggurat, and maybe even built the Hanging Gardens. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. They are believed to have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. Legend says that he built them for his wife Amytis of Media. She was from Persia, and missed the lush, green plant-life of her homeland. 7 Wonders of the ANCIENT World Hanging Gardens Mausoleum at Maussollos Great Pyramid of Giza Colossus of Rhodes Temple of Artemis Lighthouse of Alexandria Statue of Zeus at Olympia Diodorus was a Greek writer who told many things about the gardens. He wrote they were about 400 feet wide by 400 feet long and more than 80 feet high. Other accounts indicate the height was equal to the outer city walls. Herodotus was a Greek historian who wrote about many things like Atlantis, and the walls of Babylon. He said that the outer walls were 320 feet high, 56 miles in length, and 80 feet thick. Herodotus never mentions the gardens though. Did they really exist? The Tower of Babel?