jjares reviewed The Babylonian Empire: An Enthralling Overview of Babylon and the Babylonians on + 3307 more book reviews
This is well-written and is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the Babylonian Empire. They began as humble nomadic herders. However, my favorite chapter was about Babylonian culture and innovations in the arts, sciences, and law. Babylonians fostered literature, including poetry, hymns, and epic tales. The Babylonians also had the world's first libraries. The law code of Hammurabi was robust because it covered legal issues related to marriage, family, commerce, wages, property, slavery, medical malpractice, and crimes including rape, theft, assault, incest, and kidnapping. In addition, the law of Hammurabi regulated barbers, construction workers, shipbuilders, doctors, and veterinarians. One unique thing about Hammurabi's laws was the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire created beautiful art and architecture, featuring temples with brightly-painted walls. Although the Hanging Gardens have not been found, enough writings about the gardens exist that assure scholars that they were in Babylon. For the Babylonians, astronomy and astrology worked together. They had a very advanced understanding of the solar year, the twelve-month calendar, and information on Venus and other planets and the main stars. They understood the concept of zero and place value. They used algebra and fractions. They understood the Pythagorean theorem over one thousand years before Pythagoras' birth.
The Babylonians did not have hospitals but did treat patients in small clinics, complete with overnight care. They did surgery there, including setting bones, excising wounds, and draining abscesses. By 1000 BCE, Babylonian pharmacies had an inventory of about five hundred medicines.
Spirituality was essential to the Babylonians. The Babylonians worshiped six hundred gods who answered to Marduk. Babylonians built their architecture to please the gods rather than brag about their military conquests. All in all, this is an interesting summary of the Babylonian Empire.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire created beautiful art and architecture, featuring temples with brightly-painted walls. Although the Hanging Gardens have not been found, enough writings about the gardens exist that assure scholars that they were in Babylon. For the Babylonians, astronomy and astrology worked together. They had a very advanced understanding of the solar year, the twelve-month calendar, and information on Venus and other planets and the main stars. They understood the concept of zero and place value. They used algebra and fractions. They understood the Pythagorean theorem over one thousand years before Pythagoras' birth.
The Babylonians did not have hospitals but did treat patients in small clinics, complete with overnight care. They did surgery there, including setting bones, excising wounds, and draining abscesses. By 1000 BCE, Babylonian pharmacies had an inventory of about five hundred medicines.
Spirituality was essential to the Babylonians. The Babylonians worshiped six hundred gods who answered to Marduk. Babylonians built their architecture to please the gods rather than brag about their military conquests. All in all, this is an interesting summary of the Babylonian Empire.
