Old Babylonian Empire
Old Babylonian Empire | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
c. 1894 BC – c. 1595 BC | |||||||||||
Amorite | |||||||||||
Religion | Babylonian religion | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
King | |||||||||||
• c. 1894–1881 BC | Sumu-abum (first) | ||||||||||
• c. 1626–1595 BC | Samsu-Ditana (last) | ||||||||||
Historical era | Sack of Babylon | c. 1595 BC | |||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 1595 BC | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Today part of | Iraq Syria |
The Old Babylonian Empire, or First Babylonian Empire, is dated to c. 1894–1595 BC, and comes after the end of
Hardship of searching for origins of the First Dynasty
The origins of the First Babylonian dynasty are hard to pinpoint because Babylon itself yields few archaeological materials intact due to a high water table. The evidence that survived throughout the years includes written records such as royal and votive inscriptions, literary texts, and lists of year-names. The minimal amount of evidence in economic and legal documents makes it difficult to illustrate the economic and social history of the First Babylonian Dynasty, but with historical events portrayed in literature and the existence of year-name lists, it is possible to establish a chronology.[3]
First kings of the dynasty
With little evidence on hand, there is not much known about the reigns of the kings from
The accomplishments of the first known king of the Dynasty,
There is little information available about the reigns of Sabium, Apil-Sin and Sin-muballit, other than that they continued ruling the conquered territory, as well as strengthening the walls and began building canals. However, Sin-muballit is known for his successful defeats of Rim-Sin I, which protected Babylon from further invasion.[9] Sin-muballit would then pass on the role of king to his son, Hammurabi.
King Hammurabi
Hammurabi is also at times referred to as "Hammurapi" in ancient texts, including multiple primary-source Babylonian letters. This is a common phenomenon in Amorite names. (Another Amorite of the era, "Dipilirabi", is also known as "Dipilirapi".)[11].
The Code of Hammurabi — one of the oldest written laws in history, and one of the most famous ancient texts from the Near East, and among the best known artifacts of the ancient world — is from the first Babylonian dynasty. The code is written in cuneiform on a 2.25 meter (7 foot 4½ inch) diorite stele. At the top, it portrays the Babylonian king receiving his kingship from the sun god Shamash; on the bottom is the collection of written laws. The text itself explains how Hammurabi came to power and created a set of laws to ensure justice throughout his territory — emphasizing that these are the divine roles that were given to him.[12]
Before presenting the laws written in the Code, Hammurabi states, "When the god Marduk commanded me to provide just ways for the people of the land (in order to attain) appropriate behavior, I established truth and justice as the declaration of the land, I enhanced the well-being of the people." It then goes on to detail the laws of just punishment for crimes and provide rules for his people to abide by.[13]
King Hammurabi ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC. When he first came to power, the empire only consisted of a few towns in the area near Babylon: Dilbat, Sippar, Kish, and Borsippa. By 1762 BC, Hammurabi managed to succeed in capturing the formidable power of Eshnunna, inheriting its well-established trade routes and the economic stability that came along with them. It was not long before Hammurabi's armies took Assyria and parts of the Zagros Mountains. Eventually in 1761 BC, Babylon gained control over Mari, making up virtually all the territory of Mesopotamia that had been under the Third Dynasty of Ur.[14]
During Hammurabi's thirtieth year as king, he conquered
Zimri-Lim, king of the nearby polity of Mari, plays a significant role for modern historians. He contributed immense amounts of historical writing that describe the history and diplomacy of the first Babylonian dynasty during Hammurabi's reign. The archives of Hammurabi at the site of Babylon cannot be recovered, since its remains are under the local water table, and have practically turned to mud.[16] But Zimri-Lim's palace at Mari held an archive that included letters and other texts that provide insight into the alliance between the king and Hammurabi, as well as other leaders in the Syro-Mesopotamian region. These documents survived because Hammurabi had burned the palace down — which buried the material, thus preserving it.[17] War was a common occurrence for the kingdoms in Syria and Mesopotamia, so the majority of the documents from that era were in regard to military affairs. The documents included letters written by the messengers of the kings, discussing conflicts, divine oaths, agreements, and treaties between the powers.[18]
Hammurabi's successors
There is also little that is known about the kings who succeeded Hammurabi. The kings from
The first Babylonian dynasty eventually came to an end as the Empire lost territory and money, and faced great degradation. The attacks from
The sun and astronomy in Babylonian history
The sun played a role in the royal power of old Babylonia. Shamash was the god of the sun, of justice, and of divination, as was mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi. The text states, "May the god Shamash, the great judge of heaven and Earth, who provides just ways for all living creatures, the lord, my trust, overturn his kingship."[22] Shamash was considered to have an influence on Hammurabi, and represented the concept that he will execute the laws of justice on land just as Shamash does in his role as a god.[23]
A recent translation of the Chogha Gavaneh tablets from modern-day Iran, which date back to 1800 BC, indicates close contacts between Babylon and the town at the site of present-day Chogha Gavaneh, which is located in the intermontane valley of modern Islamabad in Iran's central Zagros and Dyala region.
A text about the fall of Babylon by the
The
A few sources, some printed almost a century ago, claim that the original text mentions an occultation of Venus by the moon. However, this may be a misinterpretation.[26] Modern calculations support the year of 1659 BC for the fall of Babylon, based on the statistical probability of the planet's observations. The presently-accepted middle chronology is too low from the astronomical point of view.[27]
Seals
-
Devotion scene
-
Hero fighting two winged demons
-
Presentation to a divinity
-
Scene of devotion with inscription
List of first-dynasty kings (middle chronology)
The
King | Reigned | Comments | |
---|---|---|---|
Su-abu |
c. 1894–1881 BC | Contemporary of Ilushuma of Assyria
| |
Sumu-la-El | c. 1881–1845 BC | Contemporary of Erishum I of Assyria | |
Sabum |
c. 1845–1831 BC | Son of Sumu-la-El | |
Apil-Sin | c. 1831–1813 BC | Son of Sabium | |
Sin-muballit |
c. 1813–1792 BC | Son of Apil-Sin | |
Hammurabi (First major ruler)[28] |
c. 1792–1750 BC | Son of Sin-Mubalit and Contemporary of Zimri-Lim of Mari, Siwe-palar-huppak of Elam and Shamshi-Adad I of Assyria | |
Samsu-iluna | c. 1750–1712 BC | Son of Hammurabi | |
Abieshu |
c. 1712–1684 BC | Son of Samsu-iluna | |
Ammi-ditana |
c. 1684–1647 BC | Son of Abi-eshuh | |
Ammisaduqa |
c. 1647–1626 BC | Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa | |
Samsu-Ditana | c. 1626–1595 BC | Sack of Babylon by the Hittites. |
See also
- Chronology of the Ancient Near East
- Kings of Babylon
- List of lists of ancient kings
- List of Mesopotamian dynasties
- Short chronology timeline
- Timeline of the Assyrian Empire
References
- ^ BM 33332.
- ^ BM 38122.
- ^ Seri, Andrea (2012). Local Power of Old Babylonian Mesopotamia. pp. 12–13.
- ^ Cuneiform Tablets in the British Museum (PDF). British Museum. 1905. pp. Plates 44 and 45. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- ^ Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis); King, L. W. (Leonard William) (1908). A guide to the Babylonian and Assyrian antiquities. London : Printed by the order of the Trustees. p. 147.
- ^ For full transcription: "CDLI-Archival View". cdli.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
- ^ King, Leonard William (1969). A History of Babylon.
- ^ King, Leonard William (1969). A History of Babylon.
- ^ King, Leonard William (1969). A History of Babylon.
- ISBN 9780141938257
- ^ Luckenbill, D.D (1984). The Name Hammurabi. p. 253.
- ^ Coogan, Michael D. Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Oxford University Press. pp. 87–90.
- ^ Coogan, Michael D. Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Oxford University Press. pp. 87–90.
- ^ Podany, Amanda H. (2010). Brotherhood of Kings. p. 65.
- ^ Podany, Amanda H. (2010). Brotherhood of Kings. p. 65.
- ^ Klengel-Brandt, Evelyn. Babylon.
- ^ Podany, Amanda H. (2010). Brotherhood of Kings. p. 70.
- ^ Podany, Amanda H. (2010). Brotherhood of Kings. p. 72.
- ^ Moorey, P.R.S (1978). Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seals.
- ^ Coogan, Micheal D. Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Oxford University Press. pp. 87–90.
- ^ van Koppen, Frans. "The Old to Middle Babylonian Transition: History and Chronology of the Mesopotamian Dark Age." Ägypten Und Levante / Egypt and the Levant, vol. 20, 2010, pp. 453–63
- ^ The Code of Hammurapi.
- ^ Charpin, Dominique. ""I am the Sun of Babylon"; Solar Aspects of Royal Power in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia".
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(help) - Bibcode:1982adbi.book.....H.
- ^ Reiner, Erica; D. Pingree. Babylonian Planetary Omens The Venus, the Tablet of Ammisaduqa.
- ^ Reiner, Erica; D. Pingree. Babylonian Planetary Omens The Venus, the Tablet of Ammisaduqa.
- ISBN 0-387-95310-8.
- ISBN 978-0-300-06470-4.
External links
- Media related to First Babylonian Empire at Wikimedia Commons