Babylon

Over 2500 years after the city's fall, Babylon is still an evocative name. The resonance of the Tower of Babel, the Hanging Gardens, Daniel in the Lions Den or the madness of Nebuchadnezzar continues today even without popular certainty that Babylon itself ever existed. Drawing on three of the most important collections of artefacts from the ancient city of Babylon, at the British Museum, the Louvre and the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, this book brings to life Nebuchadnezzars magnificent state buildings with their famous glazed brick reliefs, and the great stepped tower or ziggurat that inspired the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Contemporary writings investigate the history, culture and religious life of the time, describing the Conquest of Jerusalem and the emergence of monotheism within Babylonian religion. Also included will be documents showing how ancient Babylons legacy lives on today tablets recording the signs of the zodiac, the appearance of Halleys Comet and the origins of modern calendars and clocks. While the real city remained lost under the sands of Iraq for 2000 years, a rich web of myths and associations gathered around the name. Babylon has inspired art, books, films, and music, and plays a powerful role in Rastafarian religion. This book explores how and why the magnificent ancient capital evolved into a universal symbol of the city of sin. The book brings together for the first time a wealth of art works from medieval manuscripts and major canvases to contemporary digital art, which have all been inspired by Babylon.

ISBN 0714111708   DEWEY edition DC22 ISBN13 9780714111704 (What's this?)   Pages 240 Publisher British Museum Press   Weight (grammes) 1270 Imprint British Museum Press   Published in London Format Paperback   Height (mm) 290 Publication date 10 Nov 2008   Width (mm) 229 DEWEY 935.02   Academic level General

		Introduction by Irving Finkel and Michael Seymour		10
		Disappearance and rediscovery by Julian E. Reade		13
		The City
		Nineteenth-century exploration and interpretation by Julian C. Reade		34
		Robert Koldewey and the Babylon excavations by Michael Seymour		41
		Koldewey's Babylon by Joachim Marzahn		46
		A tour of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon by Andrew George		54
		Ancient descriptions: the Babylonian topographical texts by Andrew George		60
		The Dynasty
		Neo-Babylonian kings at Babylon by Jonathan Taylor		66
		Life and Letters
		Tablets at Babylon and the British Museum by Julian E. Reade		74
		Uncovering Life at Babylon by Irving Finkel		81
		History and Legend by Irving Finkel and Michael Seymour		102
		Babylon's Wonders of the World
		Classical accounts by Michael Seymour		104
		The search for the Hanging Gardens by Irving Finkel		109
		Early travellers on the Wonders: suggested sites by Julian E. Reade		112
		The Hanging Gardens and Walls of Babylon in art and culture by Michael Seymour		118
		The Tower of Babel
		The search for the ziggurat by Julian E. Reade		124
		The truth about Etemenanki, the ziggurat of Babylon by Andrew George		126
		The Genesis account by Irving Finkel and Michael Seymour		130
		The Tower of Babel in art by Michael Seymour		132
		The Babylonian Captivity
		More...

Blackwell review:
A comprehensive history of the famed ancient city of Babylon.



Customer reviews:
 Be the first to write a customer review