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Lecture 21: Neo-Babylonian Pacification

HIST 213 Spring 2012

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (artist reconstruction)

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (archaeological site)

The Neo-Babylonian Empire

Neo ^

Destruction of Assyria

Assyrian King Assurbanipal dies in 627 BCE

• family fighting over succession

No recognized king of Babylon

• Chaldean be the name of Nabu-apla-usur – “Nabu Protect the Heir”

• by 616 Nabu has gained control of Babylonia

• tries to take Assur – fails but Assyrian army follow Nabu south

– allows Medes to attack homeland

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Rise of Neo-Babylonian [Chaldean] Empire (625-560 BCE)

Coalition of Medes and Babylonians absorb Assyria:

– 612 sack Nineveh (flee to Harran)

– 610 sack Harran

– 609 Battle of Carcamesh (Egypt joins Assyrians)

Assyria ceased to exist as independent power

– Medes take eastern Assyria

• Persians are vassals of Medes

– Babylonians take Mesopotamia

• trade with western cities (Phoenicia) vital for economic growth

Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BCE)

• crown prince of Babylonia [son of Nabu-apla-usur] • commander of Babylonian forces in Levant Peruses Egyptian retreat until hears Nabu is dead

– return to Babylon for coronation

Returns to Syria • collects tribute :

– Damascus – Sidon – Tyre – Judah

• destroys states who resist (Ashkelon)

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Schoyen stele, Norway depicts Nebuchadnezzar II with a ziggurat to Marduk

International Affairs with Judah/Israel

King of Judah heeds words of Prophet Jeremiah • stops paying tribute to Babylon 598 BCE Babylonian armies march to Judah • King of Judah dies • Jehoiachin 18 y.o. son on throne 597 BCE siege of Jerusalem • Neb takes treasures of Solomon temple 587 BCE Another revolt/siege of Jerusalem • Jews forcibly resettled in Babylonia

– “Babylonian Exile” of the Bible (Book of Daniel)

Meanwhile Medes campaign in Anatolia

• Medes come into contact with Lydian Kingdom – not really an empire

– smash and grab raiding zone

May 28 585 BCE

• solar eclipse

• interrupts battle – both sides agree to a peace

treaty

– Halys River new boundary of Medes

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last moves of Nebuchadnezzar II

Fearful of Medes

• mostly on friendly terms

• but fearing raids – builds a large wall between Tigris and Euphrates

• same place as in Ur III period

Conquers Phoenicia

• siege of island of Tyre – holds out for 13 years

– finally gives up the city

562 BCE Nebuchadnezzar II dies

wall of Shu-sin

Neo-Babylonian Culture

• more people living in urban areas than ever before – 100,000 people

• Euphrates dividing the city in two halves

• building projects

• commercial activity

• height of literate culture – mathematics

– astronomy

– cartography

Beautification of Babylon

• “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”

• Northern Palace

– doubled walled

• Ishtar Gate

• Processional Way

• Etemenanki

– ziggurat temple to Marduk

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Nebuchadnezzar II

Hanging Gardens of Babylon “Wonder of the Ancient World”

Ishtar Gate at Babylon

http://www.kchanson.com/ancdocs/meso/ishtarins.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBK9djcTrzY

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Archaeological Imperialism

Ishtar Gate Europe circa 1910

Neo-Babylonian Economics

• large construction funded by economic growth

– everyone (even king) had to pay tribute to temples

• overseas trade with West and East

• tribute of conquered territory

• private enterprises

– localized control of elite families

proto-banking developments

• financial transactions based

on basic promissory note

• listed materials being loaned – lender and borrower

– scribe, date and place of transaction

– taxes, dues, assignment of credit and purchases • page 302 in textbook

• commodities market – grain speculation

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Neo-Babylonian Credit system

• Not all loans had interest payments

– but average interest at 20%

• silver was loaned for an indefinite time

– usually women for dowries

• standardized coinage in Lydia c. 650 BCE

– still not used by Neo-Babylonians

Babylonian Marriage Contracts

Mr. Dagil-ili, son of Mr. Zambubu, spoke to Ms. Hamma, daughter of Mr. Nergal-iddini: “Please let me have your daughter.”…

Ms. Hamma agreed and in consideration Mr. Dagil-ili gave a slave bought for one half pound of silver and another for one half-pound of silver. …

Should Mr. Dagil-ili take another wife, he will one pound of silver to (his old) wife, and she may go whereever she wishes.

Witnesses were x and y and Z the priestess of Ishtar

Population Deportation

• Neo-Babylonians continued practice of “social engineering”

• relocation of whole populations who rebelled or defeated in battle

• royal families of defeated kingdoms allowed to live in the palace – ex: Jehoiachin former king of Judah

– made cities very cosmopolitan • Elam, Persia, Media, Lydia, Ionian, Phoenicia, Syria etc.

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Scholarly Activity

Most important advances in astronomy

• could predict eclipse from 747 BCE onwards

• according to Ptolemy (Macedonian king)

• finalized lunar calendar by 500 BCE

• 354 day year

– leap “month” every 3 years

• word “Chaldean” synonymous with “astronomer”

– 3 wise men of the nativity story

Linguistic Shift

• Region began to speak Aramaic instead of Akkadian

– Akkadian still official language of correspondence, literature and science

• Babylonian kings showed great reverence for the Mesopotamian past

– last king Nabonidus

Nabonidus the antiquarian

King from 556-539 BCE • developed a deep love of Babylonian past

– Mesopotamian moon god Sin

• rebuilds ziggurats and temples of Ur • sends out archaeologists to find inscriptions,

foundation deposits, ritual objects of temples of Sumer and Akkad

• makes his daughter High Priestess of Nanna (Sin) – just as Sargon had earlier

• would not celebrate Babylonian “New Year’s Day” festival

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New Year’s Festival of Akitu

12 day long religious festival • King’s presence was required • first few days involved sacrificing to Marduk

– King stripped of royal insignia – slapped in the face – forced on his knees in front of Marduk – priest pulled on his ears until tears formed – solemn oath to obey Marduk

• go out and walk through the crops – cosmos (harmony)

Marduk and his snake dragon from J. Black & A. Green, Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia, 1992

The Akitu procession From W. Andrae, Das wiederentstandene Assur 1977

Babylonian Assyrian Youth Union in Denmark arranged AKITU FESTIVAL in 2006 re-enacting the ancient pagan festival known today as "New Years".

Traditional priests cheesed off

• priestly class angered at Nabonius’ sacrilegious behavior

• spread rumors that Nabonius is a madman

– these charges circulate for some time

– Book of Daniel wrongly ascribes them to Neb II

• secretly make a pact with Cyrus II

– King of Persia

• evidenced in Nabonidus Chronicle

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