Babylon (jan 1, 1894 BC – jan 1, 539 BC)

Description:

One of the mightiest, most populous and most impressive cities of the ancient world, Babylon would be the capital of many kingdoms and Empires. Its first empire existed almost entirely within the reign of Hammurabi, who rapidly expanded its area of influence but ultimately after his death the borders receded and the empire effectively ended.

A later "Neo-Babylonian" Empire would reign for a time, replacing the Assyrians as the dominant power in the region until they would be conquered by the growing Persian Empire of the Achaemenids under Cyrus the Great.

Centered in what is now Iraq, the Babylonians had a massive influence on all the peoples around them through the imposition of laws and the spread of culture.

In the popular imagination it is closely associated with the Christian bible and Jewish Tanakh as well as the semi-legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World.

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