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A review by elcilor
The City of Babylon: A History, C. 2000 BC - Ad 116 by Stephanie Dalley
Only about 3 percent of Babylon has been excavated. The remainder lies beneath a deep layer of sand. The history of Mesopotamia is often described as the first half of the (written) history of humanity. Although the book begins relatively late (by Mesopotamian standards) around the year 2000 BCE, you do realize that it covers a significant span of time when one of the eleven chapters is titled "The next six centuries."
Babylon is known as one of the world's first metropolises (perhaps the first), the Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (which may not have existed at all, and if they did, perhaps not even in Babylon), the Babylonian cuneiform script (used as a lingua franca in a wide region), and the magnificent temples, gates, glassware, paved roads, and buildings. In this book, parallels can be found with the Hebrew Bible, where some protagonists of this story, such as Nebuchadnezzar II or the city of Babylon itself, are considered pagan and malevolent.
Stephanie Dalley has created a comprehensive work from the story. She examines many kings and leaders who have governed the city, recounting the highlights and peculiarities of their rule. In my opinion, more attention could have been given to the common people. Nevertheless, I found it an entertaining work, especially since religious explanations were often sought for earthly events. Kings lost their power because they presumably paid too little attention to the gods, Alexander the Great died because he did not heed the diviner's advice to enter the city from the west but from the east, and a king could become terrified because a lunar eclipse happened to occur during his reign, seen as a bad omen.
By connecting the story to many Mesopatamian myths and providing numerous quotations from the historical texts, the book became quite interesting. A pleasant reading experience.
Babylon is known as one of the world's first metropolises (perhaps the first), the Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (which may not have existed at all, and if they did, perhaps not even in Babylon), the Babylonian cuneiform script (used as a lingua franca in a wide region), and the magnificent temples, gates, glassware, paved roads, and buildings. In this book, parallels can be found with the Hebrew Bible, where some protagonists of this story, such as Nebuchadnezzar II or the city of Babylon itself, are considered pagan and malevolent.
Stephanie Dalley has created a comprehensive work from the story. She examines many kings and leaders who have governed the city, recounting the highlights and peculiarities of their rule. In my opinion, more attention could have been given to the common people. Nevertheless, I found it an entertaining work, especially since religious explanations were often sought for earthly events. Kings lost their power because they presumably paid too little attention to the gods, Alexander the Great died because he did not heed the diviner's advice to enter the city from the west but from the east, and a king could become terrified because a lunar eclipse happened to occur during his reign, seen as a bad omen.
By connecting the story to many Mesopatamian myths and providing numerous quotations from the historical texts, the book became quite interesting. A pleasant reading experience.