12/13/2022 0 Comments Where is babylon![]() Here is a list of the top 13 most fascinating facts about the ancient Babylonian civilization: As well as impressive architectural structures, the city excelled in science, art, music, literature, and mathematics. ![]() The temple resembled a pyramid and was almost 300 feet tall. The city was located on the banks of the Euphrates, and this strategic advantage gave it unique access to trading routes in the region.īabylonian architecture was beautiful and intricate, as can be seen from the remains of a ziggurat temple in the center of the ancient city. ![]() Under the reign of Hammurabi, the town of Babylon began to flourish, and at its height, it was the largest city in the ancient world with a population of almost 200,000. Within a year, Hammurabi had seized all parts of Mesopotamia including Assyria in the north. For him, controlling the capital city of Babylon was not enough, and his influence spread to other regions. The Amorites were the first dynasty of Babylonia, and they ruled for 300 years.īabylonia was at its height during the reign of Hammurabi in the first half of the 18th century BC. For more than two millennia, Babylonia was at the center of Mesopotamian civilization. The Akkadian Empire split into Assyria in the north and Babylonia in the south. That was Frederick Douglass’ point as well.Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state which grew up after the downfall of the Akkadian dynasty around 2300 BC in modern-day Iraq. For in the midst of all the injustices that confront us every time we check news headlines, remembering is as crucial as forgiving. Meanwhile, Bible scholars are working to interpret a trove of recently discovered cuneiform tablets that give a more nuanced picture of what life was really like in Babylon for the Judean exiles. These include helping the rise of anti-immigration populism across Europe and in the United States. The forced migration of millions of people from the region, mainly from Syria, is having worldwide consequences. The problem of what to remember, what to forgive and how to achieve justice has never been more vexing.īy the original rivers of Babylon, now war-torn regions of Iraq and Syria devastated by the Islamic State, stories emerge of captives taking refuge in the river. So, what is the central message of the psalm for today’s world? (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Valuing the act of remembrance Franklin, at a city park named in the late civil rights leader’s honor Monday, Aug. Soul singer Aretha Franklin performs during a ceremony honoring her father, the Rev. On the anniversary of America’s independence, the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass made the psalm the centerpiece of his most famous speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”ĭouglass told the audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, that for a free black like himself, being expected to celebrate American independence was akin to the Judean captives being mockingly coerced to perform songs in praise of Jerusalem.Ībout 100 years later, in the wake of World War II, the dissident actor and singer Paul Robeson saw deep parallels between the plight of Jews and African-Americans and loved to perform Dvorak’s setting of the psalm. “By the Rivers of Watertown we sat down and wept when we remember’d thee O Boston….” The psalm has also inspired numerous political leaders and social movements, and immigrants as varied as Irish and Korean have identified with the story.Īmerica’s first homegrown composer, William Billings, who lived during the War of Independence, created an anthem that puts Bostonians in the role of oppressed Judeans and the British oppressors in the role of Babylonians. It has featured in the musical “Godspell.” Dozens of artists have recorded their own version of “Rivers of Babylon.” This includes a Rastafarian-tinged version by the Jamaican group the Melodians and a version by Boney M that became a blockbuster disco hit in 1978. Popular music versions have been recorded by American singer and songwriter Don McLean (and used in a memorable scene in “Mad Men”). Verdi’s first popular opera, “Nabucco,” retells the story of the captivity. Bach, Dvorak and Verdi all wrote musical settings for it. Bible scholar Rainer Albertz estimates that “about 70 percent of the Hebrew Bible tackles the questions of how the catastrophe of exile was possible and what Israel can learn from it.” Inspiring musicīecause the psalm deals with music – a famous verse asks, “How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” – it has been like “poetic catnip,” intriguing to musicians and composers. And the aftermath of exile, when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and allowed the Judeans to return to Israel, is narrated in books of Ezra and Nehemiah. ![]() The exile story, which echoes through the Bible, is central to the major prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Lamentations and Isaiah.
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