The Babylonian Empire, which would be developed, with intermittent, between 2003 and 539 AC (as mentioned in the article on the article about Babylonian culture) was one of the great empires that dominated the Mesopotamia region. The amorreos managed to impose their dynasties in the main Mesopotamian cities and the most important became Babylon, (Bávilou, means “Gate of God”).
The legends that were created around Babylon; being many of them de-reliable of this culture; they judged the behavior, myths and customs of this culture from their own views and moral patterns. Practically the information that existed so far was obtained mainly based on references from the Bible or Greek or Persian chroniclers. There are also posterior chronicles made by Germans and writers from other nationalities.
Throughout the history they interpreted these information without having a solid knowledge on the subject which contributed to creating a kind of malevolent myth of a sinful city. These malicious chronicles, demonstrate the image of this culture, their technical contributions, their highlighting scientific knowledge in such important aspects as medicine.
Technology in antiquity refers to advances in the development of tools and utensils for practical or decorative use, as well as the ability to use better quality products to obtain better results and production on a larger scale.
Fundamental contributions of the Babylonians in terms of technique, science, medicine, astronomy and laws.
– Babylonians achieved important results in the treatment of diseases from natural organic compounds such as honey and medicinal plants. They performed surgical operations, diagnosis and prognosis of diseases collected in a written compendium.
– The prevention and contagion of diseases with the application of personal hygiene measures that included frequent ablutions, handwashing, water boiling and elaboration with this of both medicinal and common drinks. As well as the use of symbols and signs described in their tablets that correspond to the different diseases known by them and how to treat them effectively.
– Creation and implementation of the First Criminal Code of Laws to govern the behavior of people.
– Creation of religious cults that spread with modified versions towards other cultures in antiquity.
– They managed to obtain metal alloys with which they produced tools, weapons and elements of a decorative and utilitarian nature such as metal sculptures, jewelry, metal vessels, bracelet shields etc.
– Advanced knowledge regarding the use of irrigation for agriculture, the recycling of land and crops.
– The use of cuneiform writing on cylinders and technical mud tables inherited from the Sumerians, has provided valuable information with which aspects of its history, traditions and culture could be documented.
– Surprising technique for the elaboration of vitrified bricks used for the decoration of palaces and temples.
– Advanced mathematical and astronomical knowledge about constellations, distance from Earth to the sun, solstices and equinoxes, that the orbit of the earth was elliptical, the number of planets in our galaxy among others. As well as the speed of stars using geometric figures such as trapezoid.
– The creation of the wheel in Sumeria and wide use of it in all Mesopotamia.
Babylonians and medicine.
They achieved important results in the treatment of diseases from natural organic compounds such as honey and medicinal plants. The prevention and contagion of diseases with the application of personal hygiene measures that included frequent ablutions, handwashing, water boiling and elaboration with this of both medicinal and common drinks.
Babylonians were able to operate their patients quite effectively and were punished if patients died as stipulated in their code of laws. In Mesopotamia, all as it was in Babylon were introduced over time the concepts of disease diagnosis, prognosis of the health status of patients and study of possible complications; based on the previous experiences recorded in their ceramic tablets in cuneiform writing.
These tablets that came to form a kind of compilation or book on the subject reflected with details descriptions containing symbols and signals that correspond to the different diseases known by them and how to treat them effectively.
The cleaning of the city was seen by Mesopotamian cultures as an important element for disease prevention. Where they obtained that knowledge still remains in mystery, especially if one takes into account that we are talking about conglomerates of humans who formed civilizations in what the theories in this regard point out as civilizations in the Neolithic period.
Metal works in Babylon and the rest of Mesopotamia.
They managed to obtain metal alloys with which they produced tools, weapons and elements of a decorative and utilitarian nature such as metal sculptures.
Techniques such as “granulation”, of fine appearance and great variety, as well as the metal misunderstanding system; With exquisite mastery in the results, they were widely used in jewelry, weapons decoration, war shields, metal vessels etc.
They did not elaborate these objects only for their own personal consumption, but was marketed having a wide demand for their quality even in geographically remote areas. The Application of Accounts of Chalcedon was very popular at that time as well as its beautiful work of applications of Lazuli pencil.
Advanced knowledge regarding the use of irrigation for agriculture, the recycling of land and crops allowed them not only to settle in these areas that presented limitations with non -suitable conditions for agriculture, but to prosper so that it was possible to increase the population and support of it through the infrastructure they developed, managing to be one of the most important empires of the time whose technical and scientific advances were assimilated also.
Your law system.
The city of Babylon It reaches its maximum splendor with the figure of Hammurabi, the most important king of the first dynasty of Babylon, which reigned between 1792 and 1750 AC the cement and forged the foundations of the Babylonian empire.
The Hammurabi Law Codeit is the first legislation that is known in history, it has an amazing property and it is its ability to be understood, its wisdom and the understanding of the human behavior they demonstrate.
It is significant that many of their precepts are in force because they foresee many of the possible situations that may occur in the social or private life of individuals. I glimpse this code aspects that are currently contained in the modern laws of many countries. This advanced thought that systematizes and governs according to a written code how justice and behavior to follow citizens will reveal a high level in the development of this civilization.
The cuneiform writing on tablets and stamps of cooked clay and stone.
The use of cuneiform writing inherited from the Sumerians, (the predecessor culture to them in this Mesopotamian region), have provided valuable information with which it could be documented aspects of their history, traditions and culture from cylinders and mud tablets cooked with cuneiform writing.
For these tablets it has been known that the product they exported mostly were the fabrics and that large amounts of gold and silver that came from the taxes of the minor cities under their domain were at their disposal to use it both in the maintenance of cities and the army and military bells. Only the scribes were versed in this technique and therefore widely appreciated.
The Babylonian people had the same subsistence needs that the other peoples had, they were also conquered as other peoples conquered, their need for protection that covers from the defense against the enemy, the injustices against the weak, appropriate conditions of time to develop their crops and all the other reasons why human beings venerate a deity or heroic figure; They were present in Babylon and contributed to creating and promoting cults spreading around the world. These cults were based on stories that curiously have points of contact with the stories of cults of other cultures in the rest of the planet. Many of these stories coincide with passages even from the Bible, and stories of mythologies such as Greek and Roman.
Babylon vitrified bricks
Among the techniques that the Babylonians developed, the elaboration of vitrified bricks used for the decoration of palaces and temples. Highlights the decoration of the entrance of the city known as “The door of Istar” in which numerous colored vitrified bricks with intense blue shades and other colors give us representations of animals that are supposed to have the mission of protecting the entrance of the city.
This technique imitated by other cultures has disappeared unfortunately and despite having tried to reproduce attentive attempts have been unsuccessful. It is a mystery how they managed to produce in substantial quantities these vitrified bricks. The pigments used from materials of nature were diluted in exact, millimeter quantities and reproducing this on a large scale required a knowledge of chemistry and properties of natural compounds that is truly a mystery as they asked to achieve, or how they got to obtain that knowledge that has not even been reproduced today.
Advanced knowledge of astronomy and creation of astrology in Mesopotamia.
One of the great mysteries presented by this culture is how it was possible that they knew both them and the Sumerians and the Assyrians, advanced elements of astronomy as if they could have contemplated the cosmos from an external perspective to the earth and not a simple contemplation of the stars from the surface of the planet. But also all that knowledge obtained for only the little time that this culture arose, developed and then extinguished.
They knew the number of planets of the Solar System, a relief is shown a representation of the solar system with the planets revolving around the sun. They possessed specific mathematical and astronomical knowledge about constellations, distance from Earth to the sun, solstices and equinoxes, that the orbit of the Earth was elliptical, they knew how to calculate the movements of the sun, the moon, stars and …