Babylon is one of the largest cities in the Ancient World, an important economic and political center of Mesopotamia. Despite the fact that the history of this city has been studied for several centuries, unsolved mysteries and little-known facts still remain.

Did the Tower of Babel exist?

About the Tower of Babel is known from biblical legend. Once people decided to build a tower to heaven. This angered God, who “mixed tongues” as a punishment. People who spoke different languages ​​could not understand and abandoned the construction of the tower.

In fact, the Tower of Babel really existed. Thanks to the excavations, its location and an approximate device were established. The tower did not have a clear structure, but was a real architectural chaos of stairs, windows and rooms.

Scientists suggest that the Tower of Babel was intended for religious and astronomical purposes.

For whom the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were created

The hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world, had nothing to do with Babylon. She lived 200 years before the construction of the park. This architectural structure was erected by the king of Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar II, for his young wife Amitis (or, according to other sources, Amanis).

Nebuchadnezzar entered into a military alliance with Medes to fight Assyria, marrying the daughter of the Medes ruler, Amitis. A woman born in mountainous areas with lush vegetation suffered in the deserted and noisy Babylon.A beautiful multi-level garden reminded her of the house.

The gardens consisted of four different levels, each of which had cool rooms where the royal family rested during the heat. Vaults of tiers kept on graceful 25-meter columns.

This may seem surprising, but structures like the Hanging Gardens were not something unique and new in developed Babylon. The fact is that under Nebuchadnezzar II, many architectural masterpieces were created. A feature of the Hanging Gardens was the special implementation of the water supply to all levels of the park..

Babylonian number system

In the modern world, the decimal number system is widespread - by the number of fingers on the hands. The fact is that people didn’t have the ability to abstractly count right away, and using fingers for counting was very convenient and simple.

In Babylon, in addition to the traditional decimal system, duodecimal was used. It appeared as follows: the phalanx (there were 12 of them) of the other fingers was considered the thumb.

Writing of Babylon

In the ancient city there was its own written language - cuneiform writing. On clay tablets with pointed sticks, peculiar hieroglyphs in the form of wedges were squeezed.

The plates were fired and stacked in boxes. That is why archaeologists who discovered these libraries were able to find out the history and culture of Babylon.

Mathematics and Astronomy of Babylon

The inhabitants of Babylon were known for their knowledge of mathematics and astronomy. It was they who divided the circle into 360 degrees, and the hour into 60 minutes.A decimal number system was invented in Babylon, even then they knew how to solve quadratic equations, and they also studied stars, trying to predict the future.

Babylonian astronomers called the exact dates of solar and lunar eclipses. These natural phenomena played a large role: it was believed that they meant the end of the reign of the king. That is why a temporary “king” was appointed to the period of the eclipse, who was then killed, performing an omen.

Doctors and medicine

The treatment of diseases in Babylon was taken very seriously. The laws of Hammurabi established liability for harm done to patients. A delinquent doctor lost his hand, therefore, in a developed metropolitan city, there were always a shortage of professional doctors. Often, the duty to treat ailments of citizens rested with the citizens themselves. Ill people came to the main city square, and caring residents shared their own experiences, tips and opinions on treatment methods.

Babylonian medicine, which was characteristic of that time, was associated with beliefs. Most of the treatment methods were based on magical or religious rituals, sometimes the disease was considered to be caused by divine anger for any wrongdoing.

Until the middle of the second millennium BC, medicine used practical and magical methods of treatment. Later, ritual methods were used more often by doctors, and to get rid of the disease they turned to one of the deities of the Babylonian pantheon.

Hammurabi laws

King Hammurabi proved himself not only as an outstanding politician and commander, but also as the creator of the oldest known code of laws. Hammurabi’s laws included 282 paragraphs, of which 247 were completely preserved. Laws covered many areas of life: from political crimes to marriage and family relations.

A column of laws was exhibited in the city square so that every resident could familiarize himself with all the paragraphs. Thus, no one could refer to ignorance of the law.

Legal Inequality of Babylon

In relation to peers in terms of social status, the principle of the talion acted (for example, the offender was assigned the appropriate punishment for a broken eye or tooth - an eye or tooth was knocked out).
The amount of fines for the same offense varied according to the social status of the victim. If a person from the upper class (avilum) suffered, then the amount to be paid was very significant.

How much did a slave in Babylon cost?

Separately, the dependence of slaves on their masters was recorded. Laws indicated that slaves were only an object of legal relations. For the deprivation of the life of a slave, it was necessary to pay the cost (or to provide another slave in return), for causing injury to him - half of the market value of this slave.

The situation of women in Babylon

The laws of Hammurabi defended the interests of women who, although not disenfranchised, were to a large extent subject to men. Women could conclude contracts, hold some managerial positions.Women could become priestesses in temples (naditum, entum), for which they were assigned additional rights (conclude a contract of sale of real estate).

The exclusive right of a woman to a dowry was protected. Also, women always maintained their status upon marriage with representatives of different strata, and her children either increased their status or maintained the social status of their mother.

Babylon is full of mysteries and secrets, which still remain to be known. The majestic city of the Ancient World is in no hurry to part with them, surprising us with every discovery.