Rise and fall of ancient Babylon

Abstract

Babilon je najpoznatiji grad drevne Mezopotamije čije ruševine leže u današnjem Iraku. Ime dolazi od bav-il što u akadskom jeziku tog vremena znači “Vrata bogova“, a “Babilon“ dolazi iz grčkog jezika. Babilon je izgrađen u jednom vremenskom periodu prije vladavine Sargona Velikog koji je vladao od 2334. – 2279. prije Krista i tvrdi da je gradio hramove Babilona. U njegovo vrijeme, smatra se da je Babilon bio manji grad ili luka na rijeci Eufrat. Poznata povijest Babilona počinje s najpoznatijim kraljem, Hamurabijem, koji dolazi na vlast nakon svog oca Sin-Muballita i vrlo brzo pretvara grad u jedan od najsnažnijih i najutjecajnijih gradova cijele Mezopotamije. Bio je najznačajniji vladar prve babilonske dinastije koja je na vlasti u Babilonu bila od dvadesetog i održala se do kraja sedamnaestog stoljeća prije nove ere. Hamurabi nije mijenjao vladarsku ideologiju tog vremena, on je bio kralj svim žiteljima svoje države. Morao je brinuti za svoje podanike, osiguravati im hranu i osjećaj sigurnosti. To je zahtijevalo i poseban odnos prema božanstvima. Hamurabi je ove dužnosti ozbiljno shvaćao kroz svoju vladavinu i prihvatio je tu ulogu. Za njegove vladavine Babilonci su poznavali različite skupine zakona, a najpoznatiji je dakako Hamurabijev zakonik. Najpoznatije pravilo Hamurabijevog zakonika “oko za oko, zub za zub” se također nalazi u židovskoj Bibliji. Nakon njegove smrti, carstvo se raspada i opada u snazi i veličini vrlo brzo. Hetiti ga s lakoćom opustoše 1595. godine prije Krista, time otvarajući put Kasitima koji su prigrabili tron i vladali Babilonom oko tri stoljeća. Asirci dolaze na vlast nakon toga s kraljem Senharibom protiv kojeg se Babilonci bune, a on im uništava grad kako bi ih naučio pameti. Nakon pada asirskog carstva Kaldejac Nabopolasar se uspinje na tron i pametnim sklapanjem savezništava stvara Novobabilonsko carstvo. Njegov sin Nabukodonozor II, obnavlja grad i podiže neke od najljepših građevina koje je antički svijet vidio. Iako se smatra da je Herodot preuveličavao u svojem opisivanju grada, nadahnuo je mnoge druge pisce koji su također zabilježili veličanstvenost Babilona. Za vrijeme Nabukodonozora izgrađeni su zidine, legendarni Viseći vrtovi i impozantna Ištarina vrata. Novobabilonsko carstvo nastavilo je postojati pod vladavinom Nabonida, no 539. godine prije Krista carstvo pada pred Kirom Velikim i Perzijancima. Pod perzijskom vlasti grad je i dalje bio središte edukacije i umjetnosti, a Kir i njegovi nasljednici su od grada načinili administrativno središte svojeg carstva. Samo 200 godina kasnije, Perzija biva pokorena od strane Aleksandra Makedonskog, a Babilon pridobiva njegovu naklonost. Htio je obnoviti grad, no umire prije nego što je uspio svoj naum provesti u djelo. Grad je polako padao u zaborav, a za muslimanskih osvajanja i ono malo što je ostalo biva pometeno, i s vremenom, zakopano ispod pijeska. U 17. i 18. stoljeću europski se putnici počinju zanimati za područje Mezopotamije gdje pronalaze brojne predmete. Ti klinopisni zapisi i ploče dovode do povećanja interesa za regiju i do 19. stoljeća, privlači ljude zainteresirane za biblijsku arheologiju, poput Roberta Koldeweya, koji otkriva ruševine “Vrata bogova“.Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia whose ruins lie in modern-day Iraq. The name is comes from to bav-il, which in the Akkadian language of the time, meant “Gate of God“ and “Babylon“ coming from Greek. Babylon was built in a specific time frame before the rule of Sargon the Great who reigned from 2334-2279 BC., and claimed to have built temples at Babylon. At that time, Babylon seems to have been a minor city or perhaps a port town on the Euphrates River. The known history of Babylon, begins with its most famous king, Hammurabi who came to power after his father Sin-Muballit and he rapidly transforms the city into one of the most powerful and influential cities in the whole region of Mesopotamia. He was the most significant ruler of the first babylonian dynasty which reigned from 20. to 17. century BC. Hammurabi didn't change his ruling ideology, but was rather a king to all the citizens of his land. He had to care for his subjects and provide them with food and a general feeling of safety. That required a special bond with the gods. Hammurabi took his duties seriously throughout his rule and accepted his role. During his reign the Babylonians were accustomed to a set of laws, but his by far the most famous one was the code of Hammurabi. The best known rule from his code of laws was “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth“ and it is also present in the Hebrew Bible. Following Hammurabi’s death, his empire fell apart and Babylonia dwindled in power and size until Babylon was easily sacked by the Hittites in 1595 BCE. paving the way for the Kassites that claimed the throne and ruled for about 3 centuries. After that the Assyrians established their rule with the king Sennacherib which suffers multiple riots from the Babylonians, so he decides to raze the city in order to teach them a lesson. After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, a Chaldean named Nabopolassar took the throne of Babylon and, through careful alliances, created the Neo-Babylonian Empire. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II restores the city and builds some of the most beautiful buildings that the ancient world has ever seen. Although Herodotus exaggerated when he described Babylon, he inspired a lot of other writers that wanted to capture the magnificence of Babylon. During his time, the famous walls were build, the legendary Hanging gardens and the imposing Ishtar gate. The Neo-Babylonian Empire continued to exist under the rule of Nabonidus, but in 539. BC it fell to Cyrus the Great and the Persian army. Under the Persian rule the city still remained the center of education and arts, and Cyrus and his his successors made it the administrative capital of their empire. After just two hundred years, the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, he also gave great reverence to the city. He also wanted to rebuild the city but he died before he could put his plans into motion. The city started to slowly deteriorate, and during the Muslim conquests the little that was left of it was swept away and in time, burried beneath the sands. In the 17th and 18th centuries European travelers began to explore the area of ancient Mesopotamia finding various items. These cuneiform blocks and statues led to an increased interest in the region and, by the 19th century, an interest in biblical archaeology drew men like Robert Koldewey who uncovered the ruins of the Gate of the Gods