Babel , Babylon
ba'-bel,
bab'-i-lon (Topographical): Babylon
was the Greek name of the city written in the cuneiform script of the
Babylonians, bab-ili, which means in Semitic, "the gate of god." The
Hebrews called the country, as well as the city, Babhel. This name they
considered came from the' root, balal, "to confound" (Ge 11:9). The name in Sumerian ideographs was written
Din-tir, which means "life of the forest," and yet ancient
etymologists explained it as meaning "place of the seat of life"
(shubat balaTe). Ka-ding'irra, which also means "gate of god," was
another form of the name in Sumerian. It was also called Su-anna (which is of
uncertain meaning) and Uru-azagga, "the holy city."
Herodotus, the Greek historian, has given us a picture of Babylon in his day. He says that the city was a great square, 42 miles in circuit. Ctesias makes it 56 miles. This, he writes, was surrounded by a moat or rampart 300 ft. high, and 75 ft. broad. The earliest mention of Babylon is in the time of Sargon I, about 2700 BC. That monarch laid the foundations of the temple of Annnit, and also those of the temple of Amal. In the time of Dungi we learn that the place was sacked. The city evidently played a very unimportant part in the political history of Babylonia of the early period, for besides these references it is almost unknown until the time of Hammurabi, when its rise brought about a new epoch in the history of Babylonia. The seat of power was then transferred permanently from the southern states. This resulted in the closing of the political history of the Sumerians. The organization of the empire by Hammurabi, with Babylon as its capital, placed it in a position from which it was never dislodged dur ing the remaining history of Babylonia.
The
mounds covering the ancient city have frequently been explored, but systematic
excavations of the city were not undertaken until 1899, when Koldewey, the
German excavator, began to uncover its ancient ruins in a methodical manner. In
spite of what ancient writers say, certain scholars maintain that they grossly
exaggerated the size of the city, which was comparatively small, especially
when considered in connection with large cities of the present era.
In the
northern part of the city there was situated what is called the North Palace
on the east side of the Euphrates , which
passed through the city. A little distance below this point the Arakhtu canal
left the Euphrates , and passing through the
southern wall rejoined the river. There was also a Middle and Southern Palace.
Near the latter was located the Ishtar gate. The temple E-makh
was close to the east side of the gate. Other canals in the city were called
Merodach and Libilkhegala. In the southern portion of the city was located the
famous temple E-sag-ila. This temple was called by the Greek historian,
"the temple
of Belus ." Marduk or
Merodach (as written in the Old Testament), the patron deity of the city,
received from Enlil, as Hammurabi informs us, after he had driven the Elamites
out of Babylonia, the title "bel matate," "lord of lands,"
not the name which Enlil of Nippur had possessed. In the past there has been a
confusion. The idcogram Enlil or Ellil had been incorrectly read Bel. This
necessitated speaking of the old Bel and the young Bel. Beyond being called
bel, "lord," as all other gods were called; Enlil's name was not Bel.
Marduk is the Bel of the Old Testament, as well as the god called Bel in the
Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions.
The
temple area included an outer, central and inner court. The shrine of Ishtar
and Zamama occupied the central court, and the ziggurrat the inner court. In
the temple proper, the shrine Ekua was located, in which stood the golden image
of Marduk. This, the ancient writers say, was 40 ft. high. On the topmost stage
there was a shrine dedicated to Marduk. It is assumed that it was 50 ft. long
by 70 ft. broad and 50 ft. in height. Nabopolassar rebuilt the temple and its
tower. Nebuchadrezzar enlarged and embellished the sanctuary. He raised the
tower so that "its head was in the heavens," an expression found in
the story of the Tower
of Babel in Gen, as well
as in many of the building inscriptions. See Clay,LOTB , Babel ,
121 ff, and the article on BABEL , TOWER OF. One of the
chief works of Nebuchadrezzar was the building of Aiburshabu, the famous
procession street of the city, which extended from the Ishtar gate to
E-sag-ila. It was a great and magnificent causeway, built higher than the
houses. Walls lined it on either side, which were decorated with glazed tiles,
portraying lions, life size in relief. The pavement was laid with blocks of
stone brought from the mountains. This procession street figured prominently on
the New Year's festal day, when the procession of the gods took place.
A
knowledge of the work Nebuchadrezzar did serves as a fitting commentary to the
passage in Da 4:30: "Is not this great Babylon , which I have built?" He had
made the city one of the wonders of the world.
The two
sieges by Darius Hystaspes and the one by Xerxes destroyed much of the beauty
of the city. Alexander desired to make it again a great center and to build an
immense fortress in the city; but in the midst of this undertaking he was
murdered, while living in the palace
of Nebuchadrezzar . The
temple, though frequently destroyed, was in existence in the time of the
Seleucids, but the city had long since ceased to be of any importance.
See also BABYLONIA .
A.T.
Clay
____________________
Source:
International Bible Encyclopedia Online Article on the International Bible Encyclopedia Online Home Page.
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