Babylon+the+Great

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=Introduction =

====The title 'Babylon", means '//gate of the god'.// This was a city of ancient Mesopotamia, located between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Today, the remains of Babylon are spread out over a cluster of mounds located on the Euphrates about 60 miles southwest of Baghdad, Iraq. It lay upon both sides of this river, providing a good source of water for the people who lived there. It was founded sometime in the 3rd millenium by a man by the name of Nimrod; the son of Cush, and the grandson of Ham.====

=Nimrod and the "Tower of Babel" = = = ====Nimrod was also the one who tried to build the 'Tower of Babel'; (to the right). His name meant "let us revolt", or in other words, 'let us rebel'. He was said to be a mighty hunter, but one that hunted man rather than animals. His motive of building this tower was for it to be high enough to reach the heavens. He believed he was equal to God in power, which was a wrong thought. With cruelty, he had his slaves at work to build this for him. Nimrod was an unholy man, and he was not supposed to be doing such things, so God caused all to speak different languages. They could not understand each other, so they stopped building the tower and "scattered upon the face of the earth", bringing their different languages along with them. In conclusion to this, the 'Tower of Babel' was never completed.====

=Babylon "THE GREAT" =

====This land recieved this name because it was, back in ancient Mesopotamia, the world empire of false religion until its destruction. Babel; now known as Babylon, was the origin of many false religions and teachings till this day, and refused to agree with true worship, so Babylon the Great became a fitting name for false religion as a whole.====

=**Old Babylonian Empire **=

====The first important Babylonian ruler was King Sumu-abum beginning about 2200 BC. He founded a dynasty in 1894 and the popular king of that dynasty was Hammurabi. Hammurabi reigned from 1792 to 1750 and was well-known for developing a wise code of law (http://mesopotamiadiv1.wikispaces.com/Code+of+Hammurabi) and establishing the Old Babylonian Empire.====

=Economy = = = ====Trade was quite critical in ancient Babylon; the prized natural resources were scarce, while the agricultural goods were in surplus. The Euphrates River was very useful and important when it came to the economy. There were barriers that controlled the waters of the river, producing abundant crops of vegetables, fruit and grain. Babylonians traded their excess food for raw materials such as copper, gold and wood. They would then use these goods to assemble more valuable items including jewelery, weapons, and household objects; which could then be traded.====

=New Babylonian Empire =

====This Empire began November 626 B.C, when the Babylonian military leader Nabopolassar began his reign in Babylon. He won control of Babylonia from the Assyrians, and put an end to their Empire as a result from constant attacks by the Babylonians and their Median allies. Nabopolassar ruled the `New Babylonian Empire` until his death in 605 B.C, which helped to administrate what is now, the Middle East.====

= **Fallen ** = = = ====On a night of October in 539 B.C.E, Babylon was destroyed by a Persian King named Cyrus, and this was prophesized through the prophet Isaiah in the Bible. It was also prophesized : //"////Regarding Babylon, it was foretold: “She will never be inhabited, nor will she reside for generation after generation. And there the Arab will not pitch his tent, and no shepherds will let their flocks lie down there.” (Isaiah 13:20)// This prophecy did more than predict a city’s fall. It showed that Babylon would be destroyed permanently. You can see a glimpse of the evidence and of the fulfillment of these words by taking a look at the photo below.====



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=Critical Thinking =

====In conclusion, the strong civilization of Babylon was far more developed than any other in Mesopotamia, during its time. It possessed an extremely organized government with the use of Hammurabi's Code. Other aspects that Babylon enjoyed were superior trade and an efficient system of writing (Cuneiform - see http://mesopotamiadiv1.wikispaces.com/Cuneiform). Egypt and other civilizations of this generation did not make big changes; just small improvements. Hieroglyphics (see photograph to the right) were used thoughout Egyptian history. However, this form of writing was often misread. The government of Egypt was ruled by Pharaohs with absolute power. This extreme power could be greatly abused, leading towards devastation for the community. It is because of civilizations in history such as Babylon, that our culture is as advanced as it is today. If it were not for all of these innovations of civilization, our every-day life would have been remarkably different.====

====In ancient Mesopotamia when God stopped Nimrod from building the Tower of Babel, he caused a 'confusion of tongues". Before this happened, they all spoke a **single** language. Like I had mentioned in a previous paragraph, they were unable to understand each other so they dispersed into different parts of the world. Bringing along with them their new languages. I think this may have something to do with our multiple human languages today. Why? Because our world is made up of many different people who speak different languages, //found in diverse areas of the world.//==== ====If there //is// a relation between the incident with the Tower of Babel, and our would today..... then how would life be different without it? Maybe, there wouldn't be as many languages spoken in the world, and maybe some lands wouldnt exist today.====

=BIBLIOGRAPHY =

[] This is where I got my information about Babylon's destruction in my paragraph entited "Fallen".

[] I got most of my general information from this website, such as Babylon's founder, its location, and more.

[] I got my information on trade and the economy of Babylon, here.

[] These are the two websites which I gathered my info on "Nimrod and the "Tower of Babel" . []

[] Also general info, plus some highlights of Babylonian civilization

[] I learned more about Babylon's location from this online encyclopedia.

WORLD BOOK 2001 "B" - I got my information about the New and Old Babylonian Empires here.