Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks support
Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.
Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian
For thousands of years, the myth of Babylon has haunted the European imagination. The Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, Belshazzar’s Feast and the Fall of Babylon have inspired artists, writers, poets, philosophers and filmmakers.
By the end of this module you will be able to:
Identify and describe the form, content, and context of key Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian Art
Define critical terms related to Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian Art
Explain Hammurabi’s rule and it’s significance in early Babylon
Describe the artistic and architectural accomplishments of King Nebuchadnezzar II, including the city of Babylon
The city of Babylon lay on the River Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia, in what is today Iraq rose to prominence in the eighteenth century B.C. when, through a combination of political alliances and military campaigns, Hammurabi (c. 1792–1750 BCE) was able to unite a large state under his rule. The end of the second millennium BCE saw power over Babylon change hands several times, with Babylonia briefly falling under Assyrian domination. By the seventh century, BCE Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 604–562 BCE) came to rule most of its former empire. As king of the new Babylon,Nebuchadnezzar II rebuilt much of the city constructing an imperial capital with vast palaces and well-appointed temples, colossal city walls, and a great northern entry point, the Ishtar Gate, approached via a long Processional Way lined with colourful glazed-brick reliefs depicting roaring lions.
Old Babylonian Dynasty
Sin-muballit (1812–1793 BCE)
Hammurabi (1792–1750 BCE)
Kassite Dynasty (1750-1373 BCE)
Kadashman-Enlil I (1374–1360 BCE)
Burnaburiash II (1359–1333 BCE)
Kurigalzu II (1332–1308 BCE)
Babylonian Dynasty
Nabu-mukin-zeri (731–729 BCE)
Marduk-apla-iddina II (721–710 BCE)
Shamash-shum-ukin (667–648 BCE)
Neo-Babylonian Dynasty
Nabopolassar (625–605 BCE)
Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 BCE)
Amel-Marduk (561–560 BCE)
Neriglissar (559–556 BCE)
Labashi-Marduk (556 BCE)
Nabonidus (555–539 BCE)
Old Babylon
The city of Babylon on the River Euphrates in southern Iraq is mentioned in documents of the late third millennium BCE and first came to prominence as the royal city of King Hammurabi (about 1790-1750 BCE). He established control over many other kingdoms stretching from the Persian Gulf to Syria. The British Museum holds one of the iconic artworks of this period, the so-called “Queen of the Night.”
From around 1500 BCE, a dynasty of Kassite kings took control in Babylon and unified southern Iraq into the kingdom of Babylonia. The Babylonian cities were the centers of great scribal learning and produced writings on divination, astrology, medicine and mathematics. The Kassite kings corresponded with the Egyptian Pharaohs as revealed by cuneiform letters found at Amarna in Egypt, now in the British Museum.
Babylonia