From Hammurabi's Law to Cyrus's Statecraft
The book "From the Beginning to the End of Babylonian Civilization" traces a historical journey: from the founding of Babylon on the Euphrates to the era of rulers such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II, from bloody battles with Elam and Assyria to its sudden conquest by Cyrus the Great.
According to Ambassador Arjan's report, quoted by Ambassador Arjan - Tahereh Mehri: The Achaemenid Empire or Persian Empire (in Western sources) (330-550 BC) was an ancient Iranian kingdom in Western Asia that was founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. During the reign of Xerxes I, it reached its greatest extent, which continued from the Balkans and Eastern Europe in the West, to the Indus Valley in the East. This empire was the largest empire in the world up to that time and had a total area of 5.5 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles). Also, this empire was the first superpower of the world, which finally disappeared after the attack of Alexander the Great on Iran. On the occasion of the 22nd of October, the coronation day of Cyrus the Achaemenid and the beginning of the Achaemenid dynasty in Iran, we are reviewing the book "From the Beginning to the End of Babylonian Civilization" by the Harley History Institute, translated by M. Derakhsh, which has just been published by Sabzan Publishing House, has come to the book market.
Babylon, a legendary city in the heart of Mesopotamia, was once the center of the world's most brilliant empires; Where the laws of Hammurabi were formulated, the huge ziggurats split the sky and its hanging gardens were among the seven wonders. This book is a narrative of a historical journey; From the birth of Babylon by the Euphrates to the reign of kings such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II, from the bloody battles with Elam and Assyria to its sudden conquest by Cyrus the Great.
The word "Babylon" alone conjures up images of wealth, magnificent buildings, as well as pride, corruption, and the worship of wealth and material possessions. But what was the reality of this ancient city, which is still remembered today after many of its contemporary cities have been forgotten?
Babylon had a more complicated and turbulent history than most major cities. Over a period of nearly two thousand years, it grew from a small city-state among many others to the magnificent heart of an empire, admired for its knowledge and culture. It then declined, was destroyed and rebuilt, and eventually became the center of a larger empire. When Alexander the Great conquered a large part of the civilized world, he chose Babylon as the capital of his mighty empire, and it seemed that this city would have an eternal destiny. But instead, Alexander mysteriously died in this city, and after that, Babylon once again fell into decline. Over the centuries, it became little more than ruins in the desert that provided the only source of bricks for local builders. This is the story of the rise and fall of the most famous ancient city of Mesopotamia. This is the story of Babylon.
After the introduction, the book describes in nine chapters "The First Dynasty of Babylon", "King Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire", "The Hittite, Cassian and Assyrian Government", "Destruction and Reconstruction of Babylon", "Neo-Babylonian Empire", "Persian Conquest", "The Entry of Alexander the Great into Babylon", "The Fall of Babylon", "Babylon in the Bible" and "The End of an Empire".
In the second chapter of this book titled "King Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire" we read:
Hammurabi compiled one of the oldest and most comprehensive legal systems in history; The set of laws that were applied in all the cities under his command. These laws, 282 in all, were inscribed using cuneiform on a large block of black diorite—a hard, dark-colored igneous rock chosen for its durability and beauty—that stood in the center of Babylon.
These laws, which became known as the Laws of Hammurabi, are a complete set of laws as we understand them today; They are not, rather, they are a set of rulings that cover certain conditions. They determine compensation for specific actions, for example: if a man hits a free woman so that she loses her unborn child, he must pay ten shekels to compensate her for the damage, and if someone blinds a man's eye, his eye must also become blind.
The shekel, a unit of money and weight in ancient Mesopotamia, was equivalent to about 8.3 grams of silver and was used to determine fines, wages, and the value of goods.
Hammurabi's laws are one of the first attempts to create a single behavioral system for all citizens - whether rich or poor. The goal was to create a sense of justice and equality among those living under King Hammurabi's rule, and copies of the laws were distributed to all the cities under his control. Although such a system is considered common today, in the middle of the 18th century BC it was considered a fundamental innovation that directly influenced the laws of many subsequent civilizations. For example, in recognition of the creation of this historic set of laws, the image of King Hammurabi is featured on relief carvings in the United States House of Representatives chamber in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. It has been shown."
In the sixth chapter of this book titled "Persian Conquest", we read:
Pars Province is one of the Civic Provinces of Iran. Around 559 BC, a young king named Cyrus became the heir to the throne of the city of Anshan. This small city was located in the heart of Pars land. Cyrus later became one of the most powerful and famous leaders of the ancient world and was able to expand his small kingdom into the largest empire the world had ever seen. He began his work by expanding the rule over the entire province of Pars, to the point where he called himself the king of Persia - Persia was another name by which Pars was known.
This expansion of territory angered the Medes. At that time, the Medes ruled the northwest of Iran and parts of the Middle River. Astyages, king of the Medes, decided to curb the ambitions of the young Persian king and invaded Persia in 550 BC.
But Cyrus showed as clever and foresight in victory as he had proved in the battlefield. Instead of executing the defeated king - a practice that was very common at the time - he spared Astyages' life and married his daughter, Amytis. This political marriage calmed the Median nobles who might oppose the Persian rule. Cyrus calmed down many Median nobles and nobles who might oppose the Persian rule. Cyrus employed many Median nobles and elders in his new government. Furthermore, he wisely respected the religious sensibilities of the people he conquered and allowed them to continue worshiping in their traditional ways. This was a very intellectual and unusual approach for that period, which significantly reduced the possibility of rebellion in the conquered lands.
After Cyrus added the Median Kingdom to his realm, he set his sights on the west and the wealthy Lydian Empire in Anatolia. Lydia was ruled by its legendary and wealthy king, Croesus. By 540 BC, Cyrus, now known as "Cyrus the Great" due to his extensive conquests, completely defeated the Lydians. Interestingly, Cyrus not only allowed King Croesus to live, but chose him as a valuable advisor in his court. In the same period, the Persians also took several lands from the Greeks.
But there was still a powerful empire in the region that posed a serious challenge to the expanding Persian Empire - the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Babylon at this time was still suffering from internal strife and political strife after the death of its mighty king, Nebuchadnezzar II.
In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great launched a decisive and planned attack against Babylon; An action that changed the fate of this ancient empire forever. First, he conquered the kingdom of Elam, which was a neighbor of Babylon, with very little difficulty. Then his armies marched south along the Tigris River towards Babylon. In the same year, Babylonian and Persian armies finally met near the important city of Opis, north of Babylon. A fierce battle ensued that led to the complete defeat of the Babylonian forces, and only two days after this victory, the Persian troops lined up in front of the huge and seemingly impenetrable walls of the city of Babylon.
According to historical narratives, when Cyrus saw the high and strong walls of the city of Babylon, he realized that it was almost impossible to directly conquer the city with military force. So, he devised a clever plan. He waited for the right opportunity and finally, during one of the great Babylonian religious festivals, when the people of the city were engaged in religious ceremonies and rituals, he ordered his soldiers to partially divert the Euphrates River that passed through the city upstream. The sudden decrease in the water level of the river allowed the Persian soldiers to cross the shallow river bed and penetrate into the city through the cracks and water gates of the walls, which were usually under water. Finally, Babylon, this great and magnificent city, fell to the Persians without any major conflict.
Cyrus also acted very wisely and politically in dealing with the conquered city. He denounced King Nebonidus, who was unpopular with the people for suppressing Babylonian religious practices and especially restricting the worship of the great god Marduk. Cyrus introduced himself as the supporter of Marduk religion and ordered, under the rule of the Persians, the dilapidated temples of Marduk to be rebuilt and renovated and the religious shrines of this beloved Babylonian god to be revived.
After the complete conquest of Babylon and all the vast lands that were previously under the rule of this city, Cyrus introduced himself with the official titles of "King of Babylon", "King of Sumer and Akkad" and "King of the Four Corners of the World". One of his other important actions was to release all the Jews who were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar II and exiled to Babylon many years ago. Cyrus allowed them to return to their homeland of Jerusalem and rebuild their destroyed temples - an act that is highly valued in Jewish history.
Babylon remained an important and vital part of the Achaemenid Empire for the next two hundred years. This ancient city became the capital of the satrap-province-ninth empire and one of its most important administrative, cultural and commercial centers. During the reign of the Persians, science, art and knowledge once again flourished in this city.
In this book, Babylon is represented not only as a rich and magnificent city, but also as a center of knowledge, astronomy, religion and ancient politics; A city whose pride and successive wars turned its glory into ashes.
The civilization of Babylon is one of the greatest centers of history from the beginning to the end of the ups and downs; A civilization that has a permanent presence in myths and holy texts, a city that was both a symbol of knowledge and justice and a manifestation of corruption and fall. This book reveals the history of a civilization whose echoes are still heard in the world today.
I have translated the book "From the Beginning to the End of the Civilization of Babylon" by the Harley History Institute. Derakhesh was published by Sabzan Publishing.