Babylon ( 'Gate of God'), is one of the most important cities of the
ancient world. It's present day location is marked by an area of ruins and
lies just south of Baghdad, Iraq. They were originally related to the
Akkadians and Sumerians. The Babylonian civilization
continued in existence from the 18th to the 6th century BC. They were
Sumerians because they were also urban in character and focused more
on agriculture rather than industry. The country consisted of a dozen or
so cities, and were surrounded by villages. At the head of the political
structure was the king, who was an absolute monarch who exercised in
legislative, judicial, and executive powers. Under the king was a group of
appointed governor and administrator. The mayors and councils of the
city elders were in charge of the local administration.
The Babyonians worked on modifying and transforming their
Sumerian hertiage into accordance with their own culture and beliefs. The
resulting way of life proved to be so
effective that it underwent very little change for more than 1200 years.
influence on all of the neighboring countries, and espicially the kingdom
of Assyria, which adapted to the Babylonian culture almost entirely. One
of the most significant thing in the Babylonian history was the
remarkable collection of laws known as 'Code of Hammurabi'. This
provided a layout of the Babylonian social structure and economic
During the period of Hammurabi and his son Samsu-iluna
(~1750-1712 BC), the Babylonian civilizaation reached the zenith of its
cultural developement and political power. Some of the important cities
of Babylonia began to seek independence during the time Samsu-iluna
was ruling Babylon. He later suffered a serious decrease in power and
territory. By 1595 BC, a Hittite army penetrated as far south as Babylon
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