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Babylon
Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia whose ruins lie in modern-day 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 Gods"...

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The Ancient City of Babylon: History of the Babylonian Empire
The ancient city of Babylon was a city in Mesopotamia which is now modern-day Iraq. The city of Babylon is so well known to many due to the many references to it in the Bible, although none of them are particularly glowing comments. The history...

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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 Cobblestones
A close-up view of the original cobblestones of the Processional Street at Babylon. Note the black bitumen!

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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 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...

Definition
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the fabled gardens which beautified the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, built by its greatest king Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605-562 BCE). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are the only...

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture
Ancient Mesopotamian art and architectural works are among the oldest in the world, dating back over 7,000 years. The works first appear in northern Mesopotamia prior to the Ubaid Period (c. 5000-4100 BCE) and then developed in the south...

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Cuneiform Lexical Lists
Lexical lists are compilations of cuneiform signs and word readings written on clay tablets throughout Mesopotamia. From the late 4th millennium BCE up to the 1st century CE, scribal communities copied, modified, and passed on these cuneiform...

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Babylonian Bricks (82nd & Fifth)
http://82nd-and-fifth.metmuseum.org/bricks Explore this object: http://82nd-and-fifth.metmuseum.org/two-panels-with-striding-lions-babylonian-31.13.1-.2 "It always had this possibility to come alive in a very real sense." 82nd &...