The Temples of Babylon

Hammurabi made Babylon one of the great cities of the ancient world. Archaeologists have discovered that in his city the streets were laid out in straight lines that intersect approximately at right angles, an innovation that bears witness to city planning and strong central government.

The number of temples that were put up at that time is said to have amounted to (1179) of various sizes and statuses. In addition a number of (153) other temples of a larger size and more sumptuous were also built and dedicated to the names of the greater gods. Among these, there are four mentioned ~ the temple of "Nanmakh" meaning the great lady, and the temples of "Ishtar," "Babylon" and "Mardukh."

Twenty-four streets ran either parallel to the river or at a right angle to it. These streets were narrow, irregular, ranging from about four to twenty feet in width with high windowless walls on each side. Theywere not paved, with the exception of the Processional Way, but instead made from raw earth. Streets provided access to houses, temples, and public buildings. They also carried the burden of becoming the dumping grounds for the city. The citizens of Babylon, not unlike those of Renaissance England, threw their garbage into the streets. Then, they covered it up with layers of clay. As a result, the streets of Babylon began to rise, and eventually, houses needed to be built on higher ground.

The street known to the Babylonians as Aibur-shabu (the enemy shall never pass) was the name of the road leading from the north to the Ishtar gate. It was a broad paved road that ran for 200m between high walls (the eastern wall of the northern palace and the western side of the eastern outer bastion).

The most famous street was the "Processional Way" which ran along the eastern side of the southern palace, through the Ishtar gate and outside the inner town to a special festival house called the Bit Akitu situated to the north. The road climbs gently upwards towards the gate. The center of the roadway was laid with huge flagstones of limestone, and on either side were slabs of reb beccia veined with white; each paving stone has an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar's dedication. On leaving the gate, the Processional Way goes past the Southern Palace, sloping downwards then some 900m south, turns west between the ziggurat enclosure and the Marduk temple towards the Euphrates bridge built by both Nabonidus and Nebuchadnezzar.

The way was lined with figures of some 120 lions, the symbol of Ishtar in molded glazed bricks. The lions on the Ishtar gate have a dark blue background. They were either white with yellow mane or yellow with red manes (now weathered to green).

The Esagila was part of the most important temple complex in ancient Babylon, dedicated to the god Marduk, the city's tutelary deity. The temple area was located south of the huge ziggurat Etemenanki; it measured 660 feet (200 m) on its longest side, and its three vast courtyards were surrounded by intricate chambers. The Etemenanki had a shrine of Marduk on its top. In the Esagila the poem Enuma elish was recited every year at the New Year festival. The goddess named most often as the consort of Marduk was Zarpanitu. The whole complex reflects centuries of building and rebuilding.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are alluded to in many ancient historical texts, but it is the one Wonder which we are unsure even existed. Current day archeologists are still examining the evidence and trying to determine if and where these Gardens existed. The oldest and best historical reference to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon comes from the third century BC, written by a priest of Babylon named Berosus. He wrote an ancient document called the Babylonica, which is a wonderfully extensive document about many aspects of ancient Babylonian life. His source materials were ancient Babylonian cuneiform records, which he studied and interpreted. Berosus wrote about Babylonian astronomy, the history of the city, the ancient creation myths and the great Epic of Gilgamesh. He listed the dynasties of kings and the countries they ruled; and he also gave the most accurate record of the great Nebuchadnezzar's rule during his many years as King.

Ziggurats

Ziggurats were temple towers. They were built and used from around 2200 BCE until 500 BCE. Today, about 25 remain, found in an area from southern Babylonia all the way north to Assyria. The best preserved is the ziggurat of Nanna in Ur, while the largest is found at Chonga Zanbil in Elam. The latter of these is believed to have been nearly 50 meters high.

The ziggurats were built of mud brick, with facades made from glazed brick. The base was either square or rectangular, and the most common size for it was either 50x50 or 40x50 meters. From the base, new steps were added, until the ziggurat was topped by a small sanctuary.

The process of building the ziggurat was in itself a religious act, everyone participating had to be good, honest human beings, and during the building period, frequent offerings had to brought forth to the gods. The initiation of the completed temple was a great celebration often lasting several days. During this celebration, a holy wedding between two of the gods was staged, and plenty of offerings were presented to the most important gods.

The ziggurat was probably not the place of public worship or ceremonies, but rather the house of the god. Through the ziggurat, the gods could be close to mankind. Ceremonies were performed and witnessed only by the priests, whose duties were to provide for all the needs of the gods. They were the foremost religious edifice.

All walls were sloping, and all horizontal lines were slightly convex, in order to make them less rigid when seen by the human eye. It is believed that the sloping walls were covered with trees and shrubs. Ascent to the top was either by a triple stairway or by a spiral ramp. But for half of the existing ziggurats, there are no visible means of ascent.

Where Were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? ~ New!

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Credits:
Sources: Ancient Babylonia, Babylon, Babylonia, A history of ancient Babylon , Hanging Gardens
Map courtesy of Ancient Babylonia
Images courtesy of Encyclopaedia of the Orient, Encyclopedia Britannica
Page background: Alal-Sin Malachus w/color modification by Xena.
Table background: Samarcande Bahktiari's Kilim Bazaar
Page content/design: Xena ApilSin, March 2008.