Babylonia

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/babylonia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Babylonia known for?Detailed star catalogs, predictive models for celestial events, development of the zodiac
2. What is the geographical context?Located in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern-day Iraq)
3. What is the key empires?Old Babylonian Empire (c. 1894–1595 BCE) and Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE)
4. What made the city of Babylon special?Babylon grew to be one of the largest cities, with huge walls and the famous Ishtar Gate that showed how powerful and fancy it was.
5. How did Babylonia create laws?Hammurabi wrote a big set of rules on a stone called the Hammurabi Code, using the idea that similar punishments should fit similar crimes.

Mesopotamia: An ancient region in Western Asia, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, often referred to as the 'cradle of civilization'.
Cuneiform: A system of writing characterized by wedge-shaped marks impressed on clay tablets, used for administrative, literary, and scientific purposes.
Hammurabi's Code: A Babylonian legal text composed c. 1754 BCE, notable for its comprehensive nature and principles of retributive justice.
Sexagesimal System: A numerical system with a base of 60, originating in ancient Mesopotamia and influencing modern time and angle measurements.