The 2000-year story of Babylon sees it moving from a city-state to the centre of a great empire of the ancient world. It remained a centre of kingship under the empires of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Alexander the Great, the Seleucids and the Parthians. Its city walls were declared to be a Wonder of the World while its ziggurat won fame as the Tower of Babel. Visitors to Berlin can admire its Ishtar Gate, and the supposed location of its elusive Hanging Garden is explained. Worship of its patron god Marduk spread widely while its well-trained scholars communicated legal, administrative and literary works throughout the ancient world, some of which provide a backdrop to Old Testament and Hittite texts. Its science also laid the foundations for Greek and Arab astronomy through a millennium of continuous astronomical observations. This accessible and up-to-date account is by one of the world's leading authorities.
- A wide-ranging, up-to-date account of one of the world's ancient civilisations with a focus on its most famous city
- Integrates literary, documentary and archaeological evidence
- Shows the huge progress made as a result of the discovery of thousands of new texts in recent excavations and collections
Read more
Reviews & endorsements
'… this detailed history, drawing on fascinating ancient texts and the archaeology of the site, is valuable reading for anyone wanting to get to grips with ancient Babylon.' Lucia Marchini, Minerva Magazine
'An excellent work … Highly recommended.' S. M. Burstein, Choice Magazine
'… an overview of the 2000-year history of the city of Babylon, bringing the story up to date with a great deal of recent research and many new interpretations that have rarely made it into works for general readers. Creating a book like this is a difficult task, but Dalley has met the challenge expertly, creating a clear narrative that is well researched and nicely organized.' Amanda H. Podany, Biblioteca Orientalis
See more reviews
Customer reviews

Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review

Log in to review

Review was not posted due to profanity
×

, create a review

(If you're not , sign out)

Please enter the right captcha value

Please enter a star rating.

Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

How do you rate this item?

Reviews must contain at least 12 words about the product.

×

Product details
- Date Published: July 2021
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781316501771
- length: 396 pages
- dimensions: 244 x 171 x 19 mm
- weight: 0.78kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Preface
List of illustrations and maps
Timeline
Chart of ancient languages
1. Land and peoples: an introduction
2. Discoveries and excavations
3. First kings, to the great rebellion c.1894-1732
4. Law, education, literature: the path to supremacy
5. From the great rebellion to the end of the first dynasty c.1732-1592
6. The next 6 centuries: Kassite, Sealander, and Elamite kings: c.1593-979
7. In the shadow of Assyria 978-625
8. Independence under soldier-kings, from Nabopolassar to Nebuchadnezzar II 625-562
9. Nabonidus, Cyrus II The great, and Cambyses 556-522
10. Part I from Darius I to Darius III 521-331
Part II Alexander III of Macedon, The Great, and Civil War 331-c.129
Part III Seleucus I to the first parthian conquest
11. First parthian conquest 141 BC to the visit of trajan in AD 116
Appendix. Genesis 14:1-16 and possible links with foreign rulers early in the reign of Hammurabi
Bibliography
Index.
Look Inside
Author
Stephanie Dalley, University of Oxford
Stephanie Dalley is a member of the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow of Somerville College. She has excavated in the Middle East and published cuneiform texts found in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, and in museums in Baghdad, Oxford, London and Edinburgh. She is the author of The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon (2013), which formed the basis for a successful TV documentary. Her other books include Myths from Mesopotamia (1986), The Legacy of Mesopotamia (1998), Mari and Karana: Two Old Babylonian Cities (1984) and Esther's Revenge at Susa (2007), some of which have been translated into other languages. She has lectured worldwide including at universities, schools and societies, and taught for three decades at the Oriental Institute. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.