The Babylonians , around 2000 BC , had begun to occupy the entire valley of the Tigris and Euphrates. Around 1880 BC a single king had conquered all the ancient city-states and the first empire of Mesopotamia was born .
The capital of this empire was Babylon, which had become a rich and powerful city under King Hammurabi.
Hammurabi he created the first collection of written laws called “ THE HAMMURABI CODE “Which included 282 laws , with the aim of giving rules valid for everyone.
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION - By breaking the code of Hammurabi historians understood that the Babylonian people were divided into 3 SOCIAL CLASSES :
At the top of the social ladder was the KING who commanded followed by:
THE FREE MEN: landowners, priests, scribes, merchants and army leaders.
SEMI-FREE MEN: artisans, small traders and farmers.
THE SLAVES: they were usually prisoners of war. To be identified they were shaved and had a stamp on the forehead. They were considered as commodities.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES - The Babylonians dedicated themselves to:
AGRICULTURE :the peasants worked the lands of the king and the rich and cultivated wheat, barley, millet, dates, figs, apricots, apples, pistachios.
PASTORIZING AND FARMING: the shepherds raised sheep and goats and produced milk, cheeses, wheat and barley.
ARTISAN: the artisans made weapons, tools, worked wood, stone and marble.
TO TRADE: traders traded goods with distant countries and exported wool, fabrics and barley.
EVERYDAY LIFE: the Babylonians they adopted the way of life of the Sumerians .
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: The Babylonians they invented hydraulic machines, divided the year into 24 hours, invented the hourglass and the sundial, measuring with the cubit and progressed in mathematics and geometry. They also studied the motion of the planets.
ART AND CULTURE: The Babylonians they were skilled sculptors and painters in fact they embellished the houses and palaces with bas-reliefs and decorations in glazed terracotta. The city was surrounded by walls. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the hanging gardens, considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, were built.
RELIGION - The Babylonians they worshiped many gods who personified the perhaps of nature. The most important were Marduk considered the creator of men and Ishtar , considered the mother goddess. In honor of the gods the Babylonians they built impressive statues. The place of worship was the ziqqurat and religious rites were celebrated by the priests and presided over by the king.