Babylon

Babylon was an ancient city, a kingdom centered on that city, and two empires centered on that city.

See also the modern city of Baghdad.

History

The area around Babylon was first settled in pre-history. The settlement was first recorded by the Akkadian Empire around 2200 BCE.

The Amorite dynasty came to rule over the region including Babylon. It was only much later, during the reign of Hammurabi, that the city flourished. Early in his reign he also consolidated control over the southern Mesopotamia by conquering neighboring Mesopotamian city-states, creating Babylonia. Around the same time though, the kingdom of Elam expanded from the Zagros Mountains into the river basin. They first conquered Eshnunna, which had been the dominant kingdom along the upper Tigris River. Hammurabi formed a defense pact with Larsa to expel the invaders, but then conquered Larsa and Eshnunna himself. His campaigns continued north and ultimately vassalized the Old Assyrian Empire.

The last king of Old Babylonia was Samsu-Ditana. Sometime around the 16th century BCE, Mursili I led the Hittites to sack Babylon.

The city eventually became a vassal of Assyria.

When Ashurbanipal died in 631 BCE, the Neo-Assyrian Empire began to dissolve. Nabopolassar led a revolt for Babylonian independence and was crowned king of Babylon in 626 BCE, marking the beginning of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. His campaign did not stop at independence; he allied with Cyaxares and, together, they conquered and divided the entire Assyrian realm.

Nabopolassar's son Nebuchadnezzar II then rebuilt Babylon into an imperial capital city.

Cyrus II conquered the empire from Nabonidus in 540. Following Alexander the Great's conquest, the city fell under the influence of the Seleucid Empire.

The city entered a permanent decline under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Stones were extracted from the city to build nearby Baghdad.

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