The greatness that was Babylon, a sketch of the ancient civilization of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley

658 Pages·1962·123.92 MB·English

by  Saggs

THE GREATNESS THAT
W,
'/,
BABYLON
H.WE SAGGS

THE GREATNESS
THAT WAS
BABYLON
H.WE SAGGS
by
"And a mighty angel took up a stone like
a great millstone, and cast it into the sea,
sa>'ing. Thus with violence shall that great
city Babylon be thrown down and shall
be found no more at all.".
REVELATIONS XVIII 21
:
Splendor and degradation are the marks
;
thatcenturieshaveplaced upontheancient
land of Babylon. Its history has been too
often neglected because of the many enig-
mas that have baffled scholars since the
time of its fall.
The significant relationships of our own
modern culture to that of Babylonian life,
have recently been a much debated sub-
ject; and archaeology, while offering some
solutions, has brought forth even stranger
puzzles. Unfortunately only a few out-
dated works have sought to trace the still-
living history of Babylon.
THE GREATNESS THAT WAS BABYLON is
the successful attempt to remedy this neg-
lect, being the first work to give an accu-
rate and detailed view of Babylonian his-
tory. Each aspect of the great civilization
of Babylon and Assyria—religion, eco-
nomics, politics, art, literature, social mores
—is carefulK examined and vividly de-
.scribed. Beginning with a basic cultural
history of Mesopotamia before 2000 B.C.,
the author traces the developments of the
people to their peak of cultural achieve-
ment, and then follows their rapid and
tragic decline.
The
was
Greatness that
BABYLON
A
sketch of the ancient civilization
of the Tigris-Euphrates valley
by
W. SAGGS
H.
F.
COLORADO
f40RTHEAST
PFGIONAL LIBRARY
HAWTHORN
BOOKS, INC.
PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
T.A
^'^Sl^^
first pnhlishciJ ig62
©
Copyright ig62 H. W. F. Saggs
All rights reserved, iuchiding the right to reproduce this hook, or portions
thereof, in anyform, exceptJor the inchision ofbriefquotations in a review.
All enquiries should he addressedto Hawthorn Books Inc., yo FifthAvenue,
New York City ii, N.Y.
Decimal Classification: pj3
Library ofCongress Catalogue Card Number: 62-i2gj4
Printed iti Great Britain
s
P
::
Contents
List ofillustrations xi
List ofline illustrations in text xv
Foreword xvii
PART
I
GENERAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY
Chap, I. Mesopotamia before 2000 B.C. 3
Mesopotamia defined: Old Stone Age: Neolithic Revo-
lution: Karim Sliahir: Jarmo: Hassuna culture: Samarra
culture: Halafculture: earliestsettlement ofsouth Meso-
potamia: Eridu culture: Hajji Muhammad phaWse: Ubaid
culture: origin ofcities: Uruk culture: Uruk period
origin ofwriting: temples and rehgion of Uruk period:
cylinder seals: Jemdet Nasr culture: Mesopotamian in-
fluences in Egypt: reUgion o£Jemdet Nasr period: metal
utihzation: Early Dynastic period: Sumerian origins:
Floodlegend dynastiesofErechandKish earlySumerian
: :
poHtical and social organization: En and Lugal function-
aries: fortification ofcities: Semitic infiltration: earUest
written documents: Dynasty of Lagash: First Dynasty
of Ur: economics of Sumerian city-states: Urukagina's
reforms: Lugalzagesi of Umma: Sargon of Agade:
Naram-Sin: Gutian period: Gudea of Lagash: Third
Dynasty of Ur: Amorite invasion: collapse of Third
Dynasty ofUr.
2. Babylonia and Assyria, circa 2000-1350 B.C. 60
Ishbi-Erra and the kingdom ofIsin: kingdom ofLarsa:
FirstDynastyofBabylon: Marianditsarchives: Assyria:
trade between Assyria and Asia Minor: Yasmah-Adad:
unification of Babylonia achievements of Hammurabi
:
:::::
CONTENTS
Cassites: sack of Babylon: Hittite kingdom: Hurrian
influencesinMesopotamia: kingdom ofMitanni: Cassite
dynasty: Assyrian independence: end of kingdom of
Mitanni.
3. The Rise ofImperial Assyria 83
Ashur-uballit weakness ofBabylonia Babylon captured
: :
by Tukulti-Ninurta I: Assyrian decline: Second Dynasty
oflsin: NebuchadrezzarI: AramaeanpressureonAssyria
conquests ofTiglath-Pileser I: thriving trade: intensified
Aramaeanpressure causes Assyrian decline crystalhzation
:
of Aramaean kingdoms: improving trade in Assyria:
conquests ofAdad-nirari 11: limmu Usts and chronology:
Ashur-nasir-pal'smihtaryandadministrativeachievements
Shalmaneser III: consolidation ofAssyrian position in the
west: Assyrian use ofSyrian craftsmen: rebeUion against
Shalmaneser III: Shamshi-Adad V: attack upon Baby-
lonia: Semiramis: Adad-nirari III: mounting pressure
from Urartu: Assyrian loss of trade routes: revolt in
Assyria.
4. Assyrian Supremacy 105
Situation in Assyria at accession of Tiglath-Pileser III:
administrative reforms settlement ofBabylonia action
: :
against Urartu: action in Syria: Ukin-zer's rebellion in
Babylonia: Shalmaneser V: siege of Samaria: Sargon:
Merodach-baladan seizes throne of Babylonia: rebeUion
in SyriaandPalestine pressureonAssyriafromthenorth
:
invasionofUrartu settlementofBabylonia: mihtaryand
:
diplomatic relations between Mushku (Meshech) and As-
syria: Cimmerian hordes threaten the civilized world:
Sennacherib: rebuilding of Nineveh: insurrection in
Babylonia: conflict with Elam: sack of Babylon: civil
achievements of Sennacherib: murder of Sennacherib:
Esarhaddon's succession: defeat of rebels in Babylonia:
northernprovinceslosttoAssyria: rebuildingofBabylon:
arrangements for succession at Esarhaddon's death: in-
vasion ofEgypt: Ashurbanipal new attacks uponEgypt
:
sack ofThebes Psammetichus expels Assyrian garrisons
:
from Egypt: friction in Babylonia: decline of Elam:
Assyrian intervention in Elamite succession: civil war in
Babylonia: capture ofBabylon and suicide of Shamash-
shum-ukin: AssyriansackofSusa: deathofAshurbanipal:
chronology of fmal years of the Assyrian empire:
NabopolassarassumeskingshipinBabylonia: aUiancewith
theMedes Egyptians support Assyria capture ofAshur
: :
fall ofNineveh.
vi
CONTENTS
Neo-Babylonian Empire 140
FinaldefeatofAssyriaand allies at Carchemish: siegeand
capture of Tyre: policy of Nebuchadrezzar: Amel-
Marduk: Jehoiachin ofJudah: Neriglissar: campaign in
Asia Minor: Nabu-na'id: attempted economic and reli-
gious reforms: Harran: Nabu-na'id transfers court to
WesternArabia Cyrus attackuponBabylonia capture
: : :
ofBabylon death ofthe old civilization ofBabylonia.
:
PART 2
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY
6. The Foundations ofBabylonian Society and the
Babylonian Way ofLife 157
Origins in Uruk culture: canal-making and irrigation as
social forces: theory of'primitive democracy': effect of
Semitic infiltration upon Sumerian society: rehgious
theory underlying the Sumerian city-state: land tenure
and economic organization: transport and communica-
tions: theEnsi: temple-estate personnel: slavery: adop-
tion and child care: hohdays: food and drink housing
:
and house equipment: sewage disposal: town planning:
water supply: clothing: hair styles: marriage and sexual
relations: education: sports and pastimes: music: health
and psychology: dreams: social misfits: treatment of
animals.
7. Law and Statecraft 196
RespectforruleoflawinancientMesopotamia: economic
justice a concern ofthe king: laws ofUr-Nammu: laws
of Lipit-Ishtar: ana ittishu: laws ofEshnunna: laws of
Hammurabi: the Assyrian laws: administration of
justice: the Ordeal: international law: treaties and
diplomacy.
8. Administration 233
Third and second tnillennia: end of Early Dynastic
period: period ofThird Dynasty ofUr: OldBabylonian
period.
New Assyrian period: efficient administrative system:
Assyria not considered barbarous by contemporaries:
relation of smaller states to Assyria: tortures: imperial
administrative correspondence: governors and their
vii
::
CONTENTS
subordinates: communicationsystem: localcityadminis-
tration: taxation and tribute: civil order: the Assyrian
army.
New Babylonian period: decentralization of power:
temple administration at Erech: temple estates: shirke:
royal share of temple revenues: New Babylonian pro-
vincial administrative policy.
9. Trade and Economics 269
Foreign trade: prehistoric period: Protoliterate and
EarlyDynasticperiods: connectionswithEgyptandIndia
maritime trade circa 1900 B.C.: trade with distant regions
under the Agade dynasty: trade v^th Asia Minor circa
1900 B.C.: theory that ancient Mesopotamia lacked a
'marketeconomy' Syriaininternationaltrade merchant
: :
colonies: trade routes through Urartu, Syria and Iran:
attempts of New Babylonian kings to gain new trade
routes.
Internaltrade: thetamkarum ormerchantbanker: loans:
commercial contracts: dishonesty: transport of goods:
real estate transactions: revendication: concern of As-
syrian kings with internal prosperity: temple and private
trading in New Babyloniantimes.
10. Religion 299
Sources for our knowledge: was Babylonian rehgion
Semitic?: animism: demons: exorcism: sympathetic
magic: Shurpu, Maqlu, Utukki Limnuti and other texts
concerned with demons and magical rituals: demons in
the New Testament: good demons: witchcraft: taboo:
omens: prevention ofill consequences ofomens: prayer:
henotheism: the pantheon: Anu: Enlil: Ea: Sin:
Shamash: Ishtar: Adad: Ninurta: Nergal: Fire-gods:
Marduk: Nabu: Ashur: Dagan: theservice ofthe gods.
Types ofcult functionary: En: Erib-hiti: Mashmashu
and Ashipu: Kalu: Naru: Sheshgallu: Shangu: Baru:
Shailw. eunuchs: Entw. Qadishtu: temple prostitution as
described byHerodotus: offeringsto the gods: sacrifices.
The temple complex: the ziggurat: Tower ofBabel:
shrine ofthe god: making a divine statue: divine pro-
cessions.
11. The King 359
Mesopotamian concept of kingship origin ofkingship
:
'divinekingsliip': royal substitution: tlie kingresponsible
for building and restoring temples: restoration of a
viii