Babylon
Location
About
Capital of the Babylonian Empire and one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Babylon was at its zenith under Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BCE) one of the largest cities on earth, covering over 2,000 hectares. The Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way, the ziggurat Etemenanki (likely the biblical Tower of Babel), and the legendary Hanging Gardens made it the wonder of antiquity. The city is central to the Hebrew Bible as the place of Jewish exile.
Significance
Babylon is the symbolic center of imperial power and spiritual corruption in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (Revelation). Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Solomon's Temple in 586 BCE and exiled the Jewish population, creating the Babylonian captivity that shaped all subsequent Judaism. The city's fall to Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE is narrated in Daniel 5. The name 'Babylon' became a metaphor for worldly evil across all Abrahamic traditions.
History & Historical Arc
Babylon was occupied from around 2300 BCE. It first rose to prominence under Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE), who created the …
Archaeological Notes
Robert Koldewey's German excavations (1899-1917) traced the city's walls, the Processional Way, the Ishtar Gate (reconst…
Key Features & Structures
- Ishtar Gate (original in Pergamon Museum, Berlin; reproduction on site)
- Etemenanki ziggurat base
Visitor Information
Near Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Access has improved post-2003 but requires security arran…
Related Figures
In the Bible
Source References
- Daniel 5
- Jeremiah 50-51
- Herodotus, Histories 1.178-183