City
Babylon
BAB-uh-lon · Modern Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq (ruins) · Also called Babel, Bavel
Babylon is a city of the biblical world, known today as Al Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq (ruins).
What is known
- Genesis 11 places the Tower of Babel narrative here, connecting the city's name (Babel) to the Hebrew root meaning 'confused/mixed'
- Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem's Temple in 586 BC and deported Judah's population to Babylon, beginning the Babylonian Exile (2 Kings 25)
- Extensively excavated by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey (1899-1917), who uncovered the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way, and the massive city walls
- The reconstructed Ishtar Gate's glazed-brick facade is now displayed in Berlin's Pergamon Museum
History
- Founded
- Settled by the early 3rd millennium BC; rose to prominence under Hammurabi (c. 1792-1750 BC) and reached its OT-era peak under the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 BC)
- Population
- Estimated 150,000-200,000 at its Neo-Babylonian peak under Nebuchadnezzar II, making it likely the largest city in the world at that time
- Industry
- Massive irrigated agriculture on the Euphrates floodplain, long-distance trade, monumental temple and palace construction, and a scribal/astronomical scholarly tradition
- Coordinates
- 32.5355° N, 44.4207° E
Rulers and powers
- Hammurabi — c. 1792-1750 BC
- Nebuchadnezzar II — 605-562 BC
- Nabonidus — 556-539 BC
- Cyrus the Great (Persian conquest) — 539 BC
Archaeology
Robert Koldewey's excavations (1899-1917) uncovered the Neo-Babylonian city built largely by Nebuchadnezzar II, including the glazed-brick Ishtar Gate and Processional Way, the outline of the ziggurat Etemenanki (linked by tradition to the Tower of Babel), and the foundations of the Southern Palace. Portions of the site, including a partial reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, remain visible at the ruins near Al Hillah, Iraq, though war and looting have damaged parts of the site in recent decades.
Scripture references
- Genesis 11:1-9 — Tower of Babel
- 2 Kings 24:10-16 — Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem
- 2 Kings 25:8-11 — Destruction of Jerusalem and deportation to Babylon
- Psalm 137:1 — By the rivers of Babylon
- Daniel 1:1-7 — Daniel taken to Babylon
- Daniel 3 — The fiery furnace
- Daniel 5 — Belshazzar's feast and the fall of Babylon
- Jeremiah 29:4-10 — Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon
- Isaiah 13:19 — Prophecy against Babylon
On a modern map
Further reading
Reflect
The exiles were told to seek the good of Babylon, the very city that had captured them — how do you live faithfully somewhere you didn't choose?
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