Category Great Civilizations

          Around 2500 BC, the people of the Indus Valley built huge cities including Mohenjodaro in the south and Harappa in the north.

          These cities were well planned. The buildings were constructed with mud-bricks. A proper drainage system and water storage system were some of the main features of these cities.

          Each city was divided into two areas. One area was where the people lived. Houses were arranged in rows along straight streets. Most houses had a well for water, in the courtyard and hygienic toilets.

          The city’s other half was a walled area containing huge public buildings like granaries, public halls, great bath etc. Near the granaries were threshing floors, where farmers from villages threshed their grains. The other important Indus Valley cities were Lothal, Dholavira, Sutkagendor, Surkotada and Banawali. 

          Do you know when the first urban settlement appeared in the history? It was during the Indus Valley civilization. The civilization at Mohenjodaro and Harappa grew up in the valley of the river Indus and this is why it is referred as the Indus valley civilization.

          It is considered to be one of the largest of the ancient civilizations of an urban nature. The town planning in the Indus valley civilization was very systematic. The city was the heart of Indus valley civilization.

          The Indus Valley Civilization began around 2500 BC, and ended up by 1900 BC. It mainly included the northwestern regions of South Asia, extending from what today is north-east Afghanistan to Pakistan, and northwest India. At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilization may have had a population of over five million. 

          Nebuchadnezzar II was a ruler of Babylonia. He expanded his empire while building the city of Babylon into a wonder of the ancient world.

           The city of Babylon was a wonder to the ancient world. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World ‘The Hanging Garden’, survived here. This garden was built by king

          Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar was the mighty king of the Babylonian empire between 605 and 562 BC. The hanging garden was believed to have been built for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, as she missed the green hills and villages of her homeland. The garden was remarkable with its ascending series of tiered gardens that contained a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and vines.

           Nebuchadnezzar’s building projects also included surrounding his capital city with a 16 kilometres long double wall, with an elaborate entry called the Ishtar Gate. He also built a port on the Persian Gulf. Nebuchadnezzar also built a grand palace that came to be known as “the Marvel of the Mankind”.

          Hammurabi, the sixth king of the first dynasty of Babylonia, instituted one of the earliest known collections of laws.

          There were different sets of law in Ancient Babylon concerning religion, agriculture, administration and business. Hammurabi codified all these laws in simple form which became famous as the Code of Hammurabi.

          The Code of Hammurabi had four parts. They include laws about money, property, the family, and the rights of slaves. According to the law, a criminal had to be punished in a way that suited the crime. The famous phrase “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” originates from Hammurabi’s code. For instance, a murderer was awarded the death penalty. If a thief was caught stealing he had to return triple price of the same.

          Hammurabi’s laws were carved into a stele of black basalt rock. The code begins and ends with addresses to the gods. He stated specifically that the strong should not oppress the weak, and that widows or orphans should get justice.

          The Code of Hammurabi is important even today, for it reveals the way human rights were beginning to emerge in Babylonia, as Hammurabi sought to protect all classes of Babylonian society. 

               Hammurabi was the greatest king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, reigning from 1792 BC to 1750 BC. He extended Babylon’s control throughout Mesopotamia through military campaigns. From all the remarkable achievements of Hammurabi, none is more important than the Code of Law.

               Though many cultures co-existed in Mesopotamia, Babylonian culture gained a degree of prominence among the literate classes throughout the Middle East under Hammurabi.

                Hammurabi used his power to undertake a series of public works, including heightening the city walls for defensive purposes, and expanding the temples.

               Vast numbers of contract tablets, dated to the reigns of Hammurabi and his successors, have been discovered, as well as 55 of his own letters. Hammurabi died in around 1750 BC. His son Samsu-iluna succeeded him.

          Early Man believed that heaven held some kind of power over earthly existence. Man gazed towards the heaven, searching to put some meaning and order to the universe around him. This belief was found in the ancient Babylonian records.

          Babylonians are famous for their contribution to mathematics and astronomy. They created a numerical system based on the number 60, which helped us to derive the 360 degree system.

          The Greek day of 12 double hours, the zodiac and its signs, and the calendar, are all credited to Babylonians.

          Not only this, the Babylonians had a significant knowledge of medicine as well. They knew the anatomy of human and animals and even performed surgeries in delicate areas like the eyes. The world of mathematics and astronomy owes much to the Babylonians. 

            As we know Mesopotamia was blessed with many empires, which contributed to the socio-political changes in the region.

            Sumer and Akkad, which developed very rich cultures, were later adopted by Amorite, a tribe that had conquered all of Mesopotamia in 21st century BC.

            Soon under the rule of the Amorites, Babylon became the political and commercial centre of the Tigris-Euphrates area. They created a vast empire. Babylonia was called Mat Akkadi ‘the country of Akkad’ in the Akkadian language.

            Efficient kings made the empire even more flourishing. It was during the reign of Hammurabi that Babylon expanded greatly, and became the major power in the region. Hammurabi forged coalitions between the separate city states, promoted science and scholarship, and created his famous code of law. 

            Tiglath-Pileser III was an Assyrian King in the eighth century BC. His real name was Pulu, and he was the governor of the city of Kalhu. Through a coup he became the king. He assumed the name Tiglath-Pileser to link him to the great rulers of the past like Tiglath-Pileser I. As king, he made drastic changes to the government, reducing the power of governors. He restructured the military, and it became Assyria’s first professional army. He was a proficient administrator, and is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in history.

            He is one of the most successful military commanders in world, conquering most of the world known to the Assyrians at that time. He defeated several kingdoms including Urartu, and Media. Babylonia came under his control in 729 BC, and he crowned himself as ‘King Pulu of Babylon’. 

          In ancient civilization, as in modern civilizations, war have always been won by a strong military force and lost by the weak one. A strong military force is always important to secure a nation from external invasion. History has been witness to this phenomenon.

          Assyrian military power, considered the first real military power in history, has been highly acclaimed. The Assyrians acquired a large empire and possessed a highly advanced military organization and weaponry.

          In a warrior society where fighting was a part of life, two things that made Assyrians great were their deadly chariots, and their fearsome iron weapons.

          Assyrian rulers were strong. They went on military expeditions along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. This practice was continued for hundreds of years.

         Assyrian kings built highways, and established courts to settle disputes among subjects. They even promoted arts and education and had libraries in their palaces. But they were most famous for their fearsome army.

         But, as Assyria grew in size, the army failed to defend the whole empire at once. The combined forces of Babylonia and Media defeated them, and the great Assyrian Empire crumbled soon. 

          The first civilization is thought to have arisen in Mesopotamia. But sadly, it was also the first civilization to be conquered. The conquerors were the Akkadians, and the conqueror was Sargon. He ruled the Akkadian Empire between 2340 BC and 2284 BC.

          Sargon is remembered, for he created the world’s first empire and standing army. He made Akkadian the official language. Sargon promoted trade, improved water management, and standardized weights and measures.

         He was a self-made man of humble origins. The baby Sargon was found floating in a reed basket on the river Euphrates, and was later rescued by a gardener Akki. Akki adopted the boy, and raised him as his own son.

          Sargon introduced the idea that a king should be succeeded by his son. The kings, who ruled Mesopotamia later, saw themselves as the heirs of Sargon’s Empire.