Facts About Babylon

It seems to be gone without a trace.

Hanging Gardens of BabylonPhoto byCreative Commons: D-Stanley

To some, the word “Babylon” evokes feelings of mystery. Babylon was a world power at its peak but is now rubble. And its fate was actually prophesied in the Bible. The Bible even prophesied that Cyrus the Mede would conquer Babylon in Isaiah, chapters 44 and 45.

The conquering of Babylon by Cyrus resulted in the Jews being released from captivity. Even beyond that, Babylon had quite a colorful history. So, here are some things you didn’t know about Babylon.

1: Remember Ishtar? It’s a vestige of Babylon.

The Ishtar Gate was a notable structure in the city. Ishtar was a Mesopotamian goddess of war and fertility. Both Ishtar the goddess and movie ultimately bombed.

2: Babylonians lived by The Code of Hammurabi.

The code was based on the concept of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. It was endorsed by both optometrists and dentists.

3: They had a risky retirement system.

Many Babylonians relied on having a bunch of kids as their retirement plan. Well, that’s a whole different financial system.

4: Babylonians worshipped many gods and goddesses with Marduk being their chief god.

He also became the basis for a popular comic strip. Hold on, being told that’s Marmaduke, not Marduk.

5: Babylonian priests led the people in worship. The priests lived on the top floors of ziggurat temples.

The priests also predicted the future. They did that by means of various polls. Hold on, being told they actually studied the moon, stars, planets, etc. One is about as reliable as the other.

5: Babylon may have been the first city to reach a population of 200,000.

Based on the culture’s idea of retirement, Babylon may have been considered a retirement center.

7: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of World. There is no evidence left of their existence, but it is theorized that they were destroyed at a sacking of the city.

Either that, or maybe the Hanging Gardens are in the Hidden Valley.

8: Saddam Hussein had a desire to build Babylon up again.

Of course, that whole, rather than Babylon being rebuilt, Iraq started looking more like Babylon.

9: The Germans tried to excavate the site of Babylon in 1899.

They were stopped after getting into an altercation with Indiana Jones. Hold on, being told they were halted by WW 1.

10: The Lion of Babylon is considered one of the greatest archeological treasures of Iraq.

It’s thought to be 2,600 years old and has become a popular icon. It’s used on currency and even restaurant signage. Forget the Golden Arches, eat at the 2,500-year-old lion.