In the history of mankind there are many semi-legendary periods. The cities and kingdoms that existed were sometimes shrouded in a host of myths and traditions. Even professional archaeologists and historians have quite a bit of data dating back to those times, let alone ordinary inhabitants. Do you know when the Babylonian kingdom was formed?
Babylon is a city of a biblical scale, it is constantly mentioned by almost all outstanding thinkers, scientists and military leaders of those years, but the history of this amazing monument of ancient civilizations is much less often told. In order to dispel the veil of secrecy over this story, we have prepared this article. Read and find out!
Background
In the XIX-XX centuries BC, the Sumerian-Akkadian kingdom, which was located on the territory of Mesopotamia, broke up. As a result of its collapse, many other smaller states were formed.
The city of Lars in the north immediately declared itself independent. The kingdom of Marie was formed on the Euphrates River, Ashur appeared on the Tigris, and the state of Eshnunn appeared in the valley of Diyala. It was then that the exaltation of the city of Babylon began, the name of which can be translated as the Gate of God. The Amorite (first Babylonian) dynasty then ascended the throne. Historians believe that its representatives ruled from 1894 to 1595 BC. There are no completely accurate data, but Tsar Sumuabum is considered to be its founder. That's when the Babylonian kingdom was formed. Of course, in those years he was still far from full prosperity and power.
Benefits
Babylon favorably differed from many of its neighbors in its position: it was equally well suited both for defense and for expansion on the territory of the warring kingdoms. He was in the place where the majestic Tiger merged with the Euphrates. It was full of water, which was used in irrigation systems, the most important trade arteries of that time immediately converged.
The heyday of the city is associated with the name of the famous Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC), who was not only a talented manager, but also a scientist, astronomer, commander and sophist. First, he enters into a military alliance with Lars to untie his hands to attack the southern cities. Soon, Hammurabi enters into an alliance agreement with Mari, where at that time Tsar Zimrilim, who was friendly to him, ruled over him. With his help, the ruler of Babylon completely defeated and subjugated Ashnunnu. Simply put, the Babylonian kingdom was formed in the period from XX to XIX century BC, after which it quickly began to gain weight in the political niche of that time.
After that, Marie did not need Hammurabi: he broke off the alliance treaty and attacked the possessions of yesterday’s partner. At first he managed to quickly subjugate the city to himself, and even Zimlirim remained on his throne. But subsequently, he did not like being a pawn, and therefore he rebelled. In response, Babylon not only reconquered the city, but also razed its walls and the ruler’s palace. By that time, the once powerful Assyria remained in the North, but its rulers immediately recognized themselves as governors of Babylon.
That's when the Babylonian kingdom was formed in the modern sense of the word. It was large and powerful, its rulers welcomed scientists, engineers and architects, philosophers and physicians.
Hammurabi laws
But the king of the Babylonian kingdom, Hammurabi, is largely known not at all for his conquests, but for that code of laws he personally issued:
- In the case when the builder who built the house did it badly and the building collapsed, killing its owner, the builder should be executed.
- The doctor who performed the unsuccessful operation lost his right hand.
- A free man who sheltered a slave in his house will be executed.
These laws of the Babylonian kingdom were carved on the huge basalt pillars that stood at all ends of the Babylonian kingdom.
What was the rise of Babylon?
At the time of this ruler, agriculture began to develop rapidly in those parts of the world. The great successes of the scientists of Babylon were made in the field of irrigation of desert lands: one of the canals was so great that it was respectfully called the “Hammurabi River”.
No less active pace was the formation of livestock. More and more artisans appear in the state. Domestic and international trade is growing and expanding. In particular, at that time it was this country that became the main center for the export of expensive leathers, oils and dates. Metals, ceramics and slaves flowed into the domestic market. In a word, the Babylonian kingdom under Hammurabi flourished.
Social features
It is believed that the country had three
social categories. Firstly, free people. This layer was called "Avelum", which meant "man." Children of free people until adulthood were called "mar avelim" - "child of man." To this social layer could belong a craftsman and a warrior, a merchant and a state clerk. In a word, there were no caste prejudices; the laws of the Babylonian kingdom stated that anyone could be free.
There was also a class of dependent people (not slaves!), Who were called "muskenum" - "bowing prostrate." These are the "servants." Simply put, the dependents were people who worked on royal land. They should not be confused with slaves: the “bowing” had property, their rights were upheld in court, they had their own slaves.
Finally, the lower stratum of society, without which the Babylonian kingdom could not do - slaves, wardum. They could be reached in the following ways:
- If the person was a prisoner of war.
- Debtors who could not pay their debts.
- They became slaves upon a court verdict (for some serious misconduct).
The peculiarity of the Babylonian slaves was that they could have some kind of property. If the slave owner had children from his slave, then they (with the consent of his father) could well become his official heirs with the status of a free man. Simply put, unlike the same Ancient India, in Babylon, slaves could hope for a serious improvement in their social status. The debtor, having fulfilled the debt, again became free. A valuable prisoner of war could buy freedom. It was worse for criminals who, with rare exceptions, became slaves for life.
State structure
The king, who headed the state, had a "divine", unlimited power. He personally owned about 30-50% of all land in the country. The king could take care of their use himself, but could rent out. The execution of royal orders and laws was monitored by the royal court.
The tax authority was responsible for tax collection. They were charged with silver, as well as in the form of natural products - for example, grain. They took taxes from cattle and handicrafts. To ensure unquestioning obedience to tsarist rule, the state used detachments of heavy and light warriors, redum and bairum. Since the formation of the Babylonian kingdom, the city of Babylon has always attracted professional warriors: they were favored here, they received honor and respect. It is not surprising that even in a period of decline, the state’s army was able to delay the fall of the country for a long time.
For the service, a good soldier could easily get a house with a garden, a considerable allotment of land and cattle. He paid for it only with good service. The trouble of Babylon from the very beginning was a gigantic bureaucratic apparatus, whose representatives monitored the execution of royal orders on the ground. The officials of the sovereign, Shakkanakku, were to organize effective interaction between the tsarist administration and local authorities. The latter included community councils and councils of elders, rabianums.
Religion was inclined towards monotheism: despite the existence of different-sized deities, there was one main god - Marduk, who was considered the creator of All That Is, was responsible for the fate of people, animals and plants, for the whole of the Kingdom of Babylon.
First fall
During the reign of the son of Hammurabi, Samsu-Iluna (1749-1712 BC), internal contradictions began to sharply aggravate. From the south, the state began to be squeezed by the Elamites, who captured the cities of the Sumerians one after another. The city of Yixing declared independence, and King Ilumailu became the founder of a new dynasty. A new state is also emerging in the Northwest - Mitanni.
It was a heavy blow, since Babylon was cut off from the most important trade routes that led to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean coast. Finally, militant Kassite tribes began to raid regularly. In general, the whole history of the Babylonian kingdom clearly shows that a weakened state instantly turns out to be the prey of more powerful and successful neighbors.
Point in 1595 BC e. set the Hittites, who defeated the army and captured Babylon. Thus ended the Old Babylonian period, which lasted only three hundred years. The first dynasty ceased to exist. The formation of the Babylonian kingdom of the “Cassite standard” began.
Kassit dynasty
The Kassites themselves came from many hill tribes, which became active immediately after the death of Hammurabi. Around 1742 BC e. their leader Gandash invaded the territory of the kingdom and immediately declared himself the “King of the four cardinal points”. But in reality, the Kassites managed to subjugate the whole kingdom only after a successful Hittite campaign. They immediately brought a lot of new into the military doctrine of Babylon, having begun to actively use the cavalry. But in agriculture, a certain stagnation began. The conquerors favorably accepted the rich and ancient Babylonian culture.
Moreover, King Agum II was able to return the statues of the god Marduk and the goddess Tsarpanit, which were captured by the Hittites. The Kassites proved themselves to be wonderful rulers, under whom temples were actively built and restored, culture and science quickly developed. Pretty quickly they were completely assimilated by the Babylonians.
However, they were not very good politicians and warriors. The ancient Babylonian kingdom quickly became dependent on Egypt, and soon - on the state of Mitanni with the Hittite kingdom. Assyria is rapidly developing, the troops of which already in the XIII century BC inflict a number of painful defeats on Cassite Babylon. In 1155, the conquering dynasty also ceased to exist, losing to the Assyrians.
Interim period, the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the First
The Assyrians, who were closely watching their decrepit neighbor, did not fail to take advantage of his ever-growing weakness. The aspirations of the Elamites, who regularly began to invade the territory of Babylon, also helped them. Already in the middle of the XII century BC they were able to completely break his resistance, and the last king of the Kassites, Ellil-nadin-ahhe, was captured. The Elamites at this time continued to make military campaigns in other areas of the country.
For some time, the independent city of Yixing at that time managed to accumulate strength, and therefore took the baton in the fight against the enemy invasion. The peak of his power was the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar I (1126-1105 BC), who once again led the nation to its heyday (short-term). Near the fortress of Der his troops inflicted a severe defeat on the Elamites, and then, invading Elam, enslaved him.
The fight against the Aramaic
Around the middle of the 11th century BC, nomadic Aramaic tribes became a real curse for the Babylonians and Assyrians. In the face of this danger, irreconcilable rivals united several times, forming strong military alliances. Despite this, the enterprising Aramaeans managed to settle down firmly on the northwestern borders of the Babylonian kingdom three centuries later.
However, not all tribes caused so many problems. Around the same time, the Chaldean people began to play a significant role in the life of the state. In those centuries, they lived along the shores of the Persian Gulf, in the lower reaches of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Already in the ninth century, they firmly occupied the southern part of the Babylonian kingdom and began to move south, gradually assimilating with the Babylonians. Like the Kassites in the recent past, they preferred to engage in cattle breeding and hunting. Agriculture played a much smaller role in their lives.
In those years, the country was divided into 14 districts. Starting from the 12th century BC, Babylon again becomes the capital. As before, the king had in his hands vast allotments of land, which he bestowed upon soldiers for service. In addition to the traditional infantry, the army began to play a huge role in the cavalry and chariot squads, which at that time were extremely effective on the battlefield. But the borders of the Babylonian kingdom were already beginning to be attacked by old enemies ...
Assyrian invasion
From the end of the 9th century, the Assyrians again took up their cause, increasingly invading the country. Assyria itself gradually acquired the features of a powerful and strong state. In the middle of the VII century BC, their king Tiglathpalasar the Third invades the northern reaches of Babylon, inflicting severe defeats on the Chaldeans. In 729, the kingdom was once again completely captured.
However, the Assyrians (contrary to their custom) retained a separate status of Babylon. But during the time of Sargon the Second, they for some time lost control of the newly conquered lands. This is due to the fact that the Chaldean sovereign Marduk apla-iddin declared himself the sole king of the country, capturing its capital. He entered into an alliance with the Elamites, his recent enemies. At first, the Allies were successful, but soon Sargon, greatly wounded and annoyed by the incident, sent his best troops to suppress the uprising, and then he was crowned in Babylon, finally strengthening his royal status.
At the beginning of 700-703, the restless Marduk-apla-iddin again tried to go against Assyria, but this time his idea didn’t end with anything good for the country. In 692 BC This kingdom makes a military alliance with the Aramaeans and Elamites. In the battle of Halul, the Assyrians and the Babylonians suffered equally heavy losses; neither side had obvious success.
But two years later, the king of Assyria, Sinanherib, laid siege to Babylon. A year later, the city fell and a terrible massacre began. Most of the inhabitants were killed, the rest became slaves. The once majestic capital was completely ruined and flooded. At that time, the map of the Babylonian kingdom was a bit, the state ceased to exist. However, not for long.
Restoration of Babylon
Soon the successor of Sinanherib, Asarhaddon, who did not too welcome the “excesses” of his predecessor, ascended the throne. The new king not only ordered the restoration of the ruined city, but also freed many of its inhabitants and ordered them to return home.
The king was Shamash-noise-ukin, who ruled the country as governor. But in 652, and he, desiring universal power, makes an alliance with the Arabs, Aramaeans and Elamites, after which he declares war on Assyria again. The battle again took place at the fortress of Der and again no one could win a convincing victory. The Assyrians went on a trick: having arranged a palace coup in Elom, they incapacitated the powerful Babylonian ally. After that, they besieged Babylon and in 648 BC, they brutally massacred all the surviving inhabitants.
The fall of Assyria and New Babylon
Despite this, the desire to throw off the oppression of the cruel Assyrians did not weaken. Around 626 BC, another rebellion broke out, led by the Chaldean Nabopalasar (Nabu apla utzur). He again made an alliance with Elam, who had already recovered after the wiles of the Assyrians, after which the allied forces still managed to inflict a number of serious defeats on the common enemy. In October 626, the Babylonian nobility recognized Nabopalasar, after which he was crowned in the city, establishing a new dynasty.
But the rebels succeeded in capturing the first large city - Uruk - only after 10 years. They immediately tried to capture the Assyrian Ashur, but failed to achieve success. Help came from where they did not wait. In 614, the Medes began the seizure of the provinces of Assyria, with whom the Babylonians soon entered into an alliance. Already in 612, they, the Medes and Scythians, besieged Nineveh, the capital of the enemy. The city fell, and all its inhabitants were slaughtered. Since then, the borders of the Babylonian kingdom under Hammurabi II began to expand rapidly.
In 609 BC, the remains of the Assyrian army were defeated. In the 605th, the Babylonians successfully captured Syria and Palestine, which Egypt claimed at that time. Then Nebuchadnezzar II ascended the throne of Babylon. By 574 BC he managed to capture Jerusalem and Tire. The era of prosperity has begun. It was then that the famous
Hanging Gardens were laid, science, architecture and politics incredibly developed. Thus, the Babylonian kingdom was formed again in 605.
However, the era of prosperity ended pretty soon. At the borders of the state appeared other opponents, Persians. Unable to withstand the confrontation with them, in 482 Babylon finally turned into one of the Persian satrapies.
Now you know when the Babylonian kingdom was formed. We hope the article turned out to be interesting.