When did the Babylonian kingdom form? History of the Babylonian Kingdom

In the history of mankind there are many half-legendary periods. The then existed cities and kingdoms are sometimes shrouded in a whole host of myths and legends. Even professional archaeologists and historians have quite a bit of data related to those times, let alone talking about ordinary people. Do you know when the Babylonian kingdom was formed?

Babylon is a city of biblical scale, it is constantly mentioned by almost all outstanding thinkers, scientists and military leaders of those years, but the history of this amazing monument of ancient civilizations is told much less often. In order to dispel the veil of secrecy over this story, we have prepared this article. Read and find out!

Background

In the XIX-XX centuries before the birth of Christ the Shumero-Akkadian kingdom disintegrated, which was located on the territory of Mesopotamia. As a result of its collapse, many other smaller states were formed.

The city of Lars in the north immediately declared itself independent. On the river Euphrates the kingdom of Mari was formed, Ashur appeared on the Tigris, in the valley of Diyala appeared the state of Eshnunna. It was then that the rise of the city of Babylon began, the name of which can be translated as the Gate of God. On the throne, then, the Amorite (first Babylonian) dynasty ascended. Historians believe that its representatives ruled in the period from 1894 to 1595 BC. Absolutely accurate data are not available, but its founder is considered to be the king of Sumuabum. That's when the Babylonian kingdom was formed. Of course, that in those years to full bloom and power he was still far away.

Benefits

Babylon favorably differed from many of its neighbors in its position: it was equally well suited both for defense and for expansion in the territory of the opposing kingdoms. He was in the place where the Tigris majestic merged with the Euphrates. It was full of water, which was used in irrigation systems, immediately converged the most important trade arteries of the time.

The heyday of the city is associated with the name of the famous Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC), who was not only a talented manager, but also a scientist, astronomer, commander and sophist. First, he enters into a military alliance with Larsa to unleash his hands to attack southern cities. Soon Hammurabi concludes an allied treaty with Marie, where at that time the friendly Tsar Zimrilim was friendly to him. With his help, the ruler of Babylon completely defeated and subdued Ashnunna. Simply put, the Babylonian kingdom was formed in the period from the 20th to the 19th century BC, after which it quickly began to gain weight in the political niche of that time.

After this, Marie did not need Hammurabi: he broke the allied treaty and attacked the possessions of yesterday's partner. At first he managed to quickly subjugate the city, and even Zimlirim remained on his throne. But later he did not like being a pawn, and so he rose. In response, Babylon not only re-conquered the city, but even razed its walls and the palace of the ruler. In the North by that time there was a mighty once Assyria, but her rulers immediately recognized themselves as governors of Babylon.

That's when the Babylonian kingdom was formed in the modern sense of the word. It was large and mighty, its rulers welcomed scientists, engineers and architects, philosophers and doctors.

The laws of Hammurabi

But the king of the Babylonian kingdom of Hammurabi is in many respects not known for his conquests, but for that set of laws that he personally issued:

• In the event that the builder who built the house did it badly, and the building collapsed, killing its owner, the builder should be executed.
• The doctor who did the unsuccessful operation, was deprived of the right hand.
• A free man who harbored a slave in his home will be executed.

These laws of the Babylonian kingdom were carved on huge basalt pillars that stood in all the ends of the Babylonian kingdom.

What was the ascent of Babylon?

In the time of this ruler, agriculture was rapidly developing in those parts. Great successes the scientists of Babylon did in the field of irrigation of desert lands: one of the canals was so great that it was respectfully nicknamed the "River of Hammurabi".

No less active pace was the formation of cattle. There are more and more artisans in the state. Domestic and international trade is growing and expanding. In particular, at that time it was this country that became the main export center for expensive leathers, oils and dates. On the domestic market, metals, ceramics and slaves flowed the river. In short, the Babylonian kingdom under Hammurabi flourished.

Social Features

It is believed that there were three social categories in the country . First, free people. This layer was called "avelum", which meant "man." The children of free people were called "Marvel" - "the child of a man" until they were of age. To this social layer could belong a craftsman and warrior, merchant and state clerk. In a word, there were no caste prejudices, the laws of the Babylonian kingdom said that anyone could be free.

There was also a class of dependent people (not slaves!), Who called "Mushkenum" - "inclined prostrate". They are "employees". Simply put, the people who worked on the royal land were dependent. Do not confuse them with slaves: the "leaning" had property, their rights were defended in court, they had their slaves.

Finally, the lower stratum of society, without which the Babylonian kingdom could not do - slaves, wards. They could be reached in the following ways:

• If a person was a prisoner of war.
• Debtors who could not pay off their debts.
• Became slaves on the verdict of the court (for some serious misconduct).

The peculiarity of Babylonian slaves was that they could have some kind of property. If the slaveholder had children from his slave, they (with the consent of his father) could well become his official heirs with the status of a free man. Simply put, unlike the same Ancient India, in Babylon, slaves could hope for a serious improvement in their social status. The debtor, having fulfilled his duty, again became free. A valuable prisoner of war could buy himself freedom. Worse were the criminals, who, with rare exceptions, became slaves for life.

State structure

The tsar, who was at the head of the state, possessed a "divine", unlimited power. He personally owned about 30-50% of all land in the country. The king could take care of their use himself, but could rent. The execution of the tsar's decrees and laws was followed by the royal court.

The tax authority was responsible for tax collection. They were collected in silver, as well as in the form of natural products - for example, grain. They took taxes with livestock, handicrafts. To ensure unquestioning obedience to the tsarist power, the state used heavy and light warriors' batches, redum and bairum. Ever since the formation of the Babylonian kingdom, the city of Babylon has always attracted professional soldiers: they were favored here, they received respect and respect. Not surprisingly, even during the period of decline, the army of the state was able to delay the fall of the country for a long time.

For the service of a good soldier could easily get a house with a garden, a lot of land and cattle. He paid for this only by service. The misfortune of Babylon from the very beginning was a gigantic bureaucratic apparatus, whose representatives followed the execution of royal orders on the ground. Officials of the sovereign, shakkanakku, were to organize effective interaction of the tsarist administration and local self-government bodies. The latter included community councils and councils of elders, rabianums.

Religion tended to monotheism: despite the existence of differently different deities, there was one main god, Marduk, who was considered the creator of all things, was responsible for the fate of people, animals and plants, for the whole Babylonian kingdom.

First fall

During the reign of Hammurabi's son, Samsu-iluna (1749-1712 BC), internal contradictions have already sharply escalated. From the south, the state was crowded with the Elamites, who captured the Sumerian cities one by one. The city of Yixing declared independence, and King Ilumailo became the founder of the new dynasty. In the Northwest, a new state, Mitanni, also appears.

This was a heavy blow, as Babylon was cut off from the most important trade routes that led to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean coast. Finally, the militant tribes of the Kassites regularly began raiding. In general, the whole history of the Babylonian kingdom clearly shows that the weakened state is instantly the prey of stronger and luckier neighbors.

The point in 1595 BC. E. Put the Hittites, who defeated the army and captured Babylon. Thus ended the Starovilavonsky period, which lasted only three hundred years. The first dynasty ceased to exist. The formation of the Babylonian kingdom of the "Kassite pattern" began.

Kassite dynasty

The Kassites themselves came from a multitude of mountain tribes, which were activated immediately after the death of Hammurabi. Around 1742 BC. E. Their leader Gandash invaded the territory of the kingdom and immediately declared himself "the King of the four corners of the world." But in reality it was only after the successful campaign of the Hittites to subdue the entire kingdom of the Kassites. They immediately brought a lot of new into the military doctrine of Babylon, beginning to actively use cavalry. But in agriculture, some stagnation began. Conquerors favorably accepted the rich and ancient Babylonian culture.

Moreover, King Agum the Second was able to return the statues of the god Marduk and the goddess of the Tsarpanit, who were captured by the Hittites. The Cassites proved to be excellent rulers, under which temples were actively built and restored, culture and science developed rapidly. Quite quickly they were completely assimilated by the Babylonians.

However, politicians and soldiers were not very good. The ancient Babylonian kingdom quickly falls into dependence on Egypt, and soon - and from the state of Mitanni with the Hittite kingdom. Rapidly developing Assyria, whose troops already in the XIII century BC inflict a number of painful defeats to the Kassite Babylon. In 1155, the dynasty of conquerors also ceased to exist, losing to the Assyrians.

Intermediate period, the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the First

The Assyrians, who were closely watching their decrepit neighbor, did not fail to take advantage of his growing weakness. Helped them and the aspirations of the Elamites, who regularly began to invade the territory of Babylon. Already in the middle of the XII century BC, they were able to completely break his resistance, and the last king of the Kassites, Ellyl Nadine-ahhe, was captured. At that time the Elamites continued to make military campaigns in other areas of the country.

Formerly, for a time, the independent city of Yixing had time to accumulate strength, and therefore took the baton in the fight against the enemy invasion. The peak of his power was the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar I (1126-1105 BC), which once again led the country to flourish (short-term). Near the fortress of Der his troops inflicted a heavy defeat on the Elamites, and then, invading Elam, enslaved him.

Fighting the Aramaic

Approximately in the middle of XI century BC nomadic Aramaic tribes became a real curse for the Babylonians and Assyrians. In the face of this danger, irreconcilable rivals have united several times, forming strong military alliances. Despite this, the enterprising Arameans managed to settle firmly in the north-western borders of the Babylonian kingdom after three centuries.

However, not all tribes delivered so many problems. Approximately at the same time, the people of the Chaldeans began to play a significant role in the life of the state. In those centuries they lived along the shores of the Persian Gulf, in the lower reaches of the Euphrates and the Tigris. Already in the ninth century, they firmly occupied the southern part of the Babylonian kingdom and began to move to the south, gradually assimilating with the Babylonians. Like cassites in the recent past, they preferred to be engaged in cattle breeding and hunting. Agriculture played a lesser role in their lives.

In those years the country was divided into 14 districts. Since the XII century BC Babylon once again becomes the capital. As before, the king had in his hands extensive allotments of land, which gave warriors for service. In the army, in addition to traditional infantry, a huge role was played by cavalry and combat chariot units, which at that time were extremely effective on the battlefield. But the borders of the Babylonian kingdom were already beginning to attack the old enemies ...

Invasion of the Assyrians

Since the end of the 9th century, the Assyrians have taken up again, increasingly invading the country. Assyria itself gradually acquired the features of a powerful and powerful state. In the middle of the 7th century BC, their king Tiglathpalasar III invaded the northern borders of Babylon, inflicting severe defeats on the Chaldeans. In 729, the kingdom was again completely captured.

However, the Assyrians (contrary to their custom) retained a separate status of Babylon. But in the time of Sargon II they for some time lost control of the newly conquered lands. This is due to the fact that the Chaldean sovereign Marduk-apla-iddin declared himself the sole king of the country, having seized its capital. He entered into an alliance with the Elamites, his recent enemies. At first the allies were succeeded, but soon Sargon, strongly wounded and annoyed by what had happened, sent his best troops to suppress the uprising, and then he himself was crowned in Babylon, finally consolidating his royal status.

In the early 700-703, the restless Marduk-apla-idin again tried to go against Assyria, but this time his undertaking did not end well for the country. In 692 BC. The kingdom concludes a military alliance with the Arameans and the Elamites. In the Battle of Halul, the Assyrians and Babylonians suffered equally heavy losses, no one had any clear success.

But two years later the king of Assyria Sinanherib arranged a siege of Babylon. A year later the city fell and a terrible massacre began. Most of the inhabitants were killed, the rest became slaves. Once the majestic capital was completely devastated and flooded. At that time, the map of the Babylonian kingdom was a bit, the state ceased to exist. However, not for long.

Restoration of Babylon

Soon Sinanhherib's successor, Asarhaddon, ascended to the throne, who did not very much welcome the "excesses" of his predecessor. The new king not only ordered the restoration of the destroyed city, but also freed many of its inhabitants and ordered them to return home.

The king became Shamash-noisy-Ukin, who ruled the country on the rights of the governor. But in 652, and he, wishing universal power, makes an alliance with the Arabs, the Arameans and the Elamites, and then again declares war on Assyria. The battle was again held at the fortress Der and again no one could win a convincing victory. Assyrians went to the trick: having arranged a palace revolution in Elom, they brought a mighty ally of the Babylonians out of order. After that, they besieged Babylon and in 648 BC made a cruel reprisal against all surviving residents.

The Fall of Assyria and the New Babylon

Despite this, the desire to relieve the oppression of the cruel Assyrians did not weaken. Approximately in 626 BC, another uprising broke out, led by the Chaldean Nabopalasar (Nabu-apla-uzur). He again made an alliance with Elam, who had already recovered from the machinations of the Assyrians, after which the allied forces managed to inflict a number of serious defeats on the common enemy. In October 626 Nabopalasar was recognized by the Babylonian nobility, after which he was crowned in the city, having founded a new dynasty.

But the capture of the first major city - Uruk - the rebels managed only after 10 years. They immediately tried to capture Assyrian Ashur, but success was not achieved. Help came from where not expected. In 614, the conquest of the provinces of Assyria began with the Medes, with whom the Babylonians soon made an alliance. As early as 612, they, Medes and Scythians besieged Nineveh, the capital of the enemy. The city fell, and all its inhabitants were cut out. Since then, the borders of the Babylonian kingdom under Hammurabi the Second began to expand rapidly.

In 609 BC, the remains of the Assyrian army were routed. In 605-m Babylon successfully seize Syria and Palestine, which at that time claimed Egypt. At the same time Nebuchadnezzar the Second ascended the throne of Babylon. By 574 BC. He managed to capture Jerusalem and Tire. The era of prosperity began. It was then that the famous Hanging Gardens were laid, science, architecture and politics were incredibly developed. Thus, the Babylonian kingdom was formed in 605 for the second time.

However, the era of prosperity ended quite soon. Other enemies, Persians, appeared on the borders of the state. Unable to withstand the confrontation with them, in 482 Babylon finally turned into one of the Persian satraps.

Now you know when the Babylonian kingdom was formed. We hope that the article turned out to be interesting.