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Babylon - The Gate of the Gods
Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia, whose ruins lie in modern-day Hillah, Iraq, 59 miles (94 km) southwest of Baghdad. The name is derived from bav-il or bav-ilim, which in Akkadian meant "Gate of God" (or "Gate of the...
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...
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Babylonian City under Assyrian Siege
Assyrian relief showing a siege, from the Central Palace at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), Mesopotamia, Iraq. Date palms indicate that the city, most of which was on an adjacent slab, was probably Babylonia. The Assyrians have built a siege ramp...
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Babylonian Tablet Mentioning Coin Payments
This tablet records the exact coins required for transaction in Babylon. Because coins could circulate for many years, freshly minted coins were less worn and had a better silver weight. The tablet specifies the "staters of Seleucus with...
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Secret Babylonian Numbers
A compendium of ancient signs united the knowledge of generations of scholars. It includes pictographic symbols from around 3000 BCE and a secret number for each sign, for encoding texts. Circa 450 BCE. Clay tablet. From Babylon, Mesopotamia...
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Babylonian Cobblestones
A close-up view of the original cobblestones of the Processional Street at Babylon. Note the black bitumen!
Video
Creation from the Void: Crash Course World Mythology #2
Today on Crash Course Mythology we’re starting in on creation stories. This week, we’ll focus on the creation of the universe out of nothing, or Ex Nihlio creation. Basically, a god decides to make a universe out of nothing. We’ll look at...
Definition
Greek Philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy is a system of thought, first developed in the 6th century BCE, which was informed by a focus on the First Cause of observable phenomena. Prior to the development of this system by Thales of Miletus (l. c. 585 BCE...
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The Epic of Gilgamesh, Lecture by Andrew George
Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London The Epic of Gilgamesh is a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian poem about a hero who embarks on an arduous quest to find the secret of...
Definition
Ra (Egyptian God)
Ra (also given as Re) is the sun god of ancient Egypt. He is one of the oldest deities in the Egyptian pantheon and was later merged with others such as Horus, becoming Ra-Horakhty (the morning sun), Amun (as noonday sun), and Atum (the evening...