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Code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi was a set of 282 laws inscribed in stone by the Babylonian king Hammurabi (r. 1795-1750 BCE) who conquered and then ruled ancient Mesopotamia. Although his law code was not the first, it was the most clearly defined...
Article
Battles & Conquests Of The Ottoman Empire (1299-1683)
Spanning across three continents and holding dominance over the Black and Mediterranean Seas, the Ottoman Sultanate (1299-1922) was a global military superpower between the 15th and 17th centuries. From the point of its inception in 1299...
Article
Continuity and Change after the Fall of the Roman Empire
The cataclysmic end of the Roman Empire in the West has tended to mask the underlying features of continuity. The map of Europe in the year 500 would have been unrecognizable to anyone living a hundred years earlier. Gone was the solid boundary...
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Babylonian Map of the World
Babylonian, about 700-500 BCE Probably from Sippar, southern Iraq A unique ancient map of the Mesopotamian world This tablet contains both a cuneiform inscription and a unique map of the Mesopotamian world. Babylon is shown in the...
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Babylonian Lion
A pacing, roaring lion, once part of King Nebuchadnezzar II’s throne room in his palace in the ancient city of Babylon. These roaring lions emphasized the power and might of the Babylonian king. Babylon, Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, Neo-Babylonian...
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The Babylonian King Nabonidus
This is a detail of a Babylonian basalt stele. Here the figure of the king, Nabonidus was carved in relief on the obverse side of the stele. The king stands and wears a conical headdress as well as a long fringed garment. The right hand is...
Video
A Day in the Life of an Ancient Babylonian Business Mogul
Follow Beltani, a Babylonian priestess and businesswoman, as she investigates who is undermining her barley fields and tavern. — It's 1762 BCE. As dawn breaks in the Babylonian city of Sippar, Beltani— a priestess and businesswoman—...
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Assyrian Relief Showing Babylonian Prisoners
Assyrian alabaster panel showing Babylonian prisoners in a camp, from the North Palace at Nineveh, Northern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, Neo-Assyrian Empire, reign of Ashurbanipal II, 668-630 BCE. To the left, an Assyrian soldier stands...
Definition
Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605/604-562 BCE) was the greatest King of ancient Babylon during the period of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 BCE), succeeding its founder, his father, Nabopolassar (r. 626-605 BCE). He is best known from the biblical...
Definition
Mauryan Empire
The Mauryan Empire (322 BCE - 185 BCE) supplanted the earlier Magadha Kingdom to assume power over large tracts of eastern and northern India. At its height, the empire stretched over parts of modern Iran and almost the entire Indian subcontinent...