
Old Testament Bible Chronology – Approximate DatesMost Bible scholars believe that the Garden of Eden was in Mesopotamia –and if that is true, that is where humanity began. Because of that, I’ll call Mesopotamia the Cradle of Civilization. Although humans roamed the earth, hunting and gathering food before the Sumerian Civilization, the Sumerians developed the first civiliztion in Mesopotamia–that was in about 3500 B.C.E.

Bible Stories about Noah, the Great Flood, & the Rainbow“About 2300 B.C.E., the Akkadians (uh-KAY-dee-unz) conquered Sumer. This group made the Sumerian city-states a part of an empire. An empire is a large territory where groups of people are ruled by a single leader or government. Groups like the Akkadians first conquer and then rule other lands. After the Sumerian Civilization, several other Ancient Empires developed in Mesopotamia:
. Image Credit: History Alive Textbook

Life Under Akkadian Rule
“Sargon ruled his empire for 56 years. During that time, he made the city of Agade in northern Mesopotamia the empire’s capital. He built up the city with tributes, or money and goods, collected from the people he conquered. Agade became cultural center with many beautiful temples and palaces. It was one of the richest and most powerful cities in the world. “The Akkadians ruled Sumer but the Sumerians’ culture lived on. The Akkadians used Sumerian irrigation techniques to farm. To record information, they used the Sumerians’ system of cuneiform writing. They even worshiped the same gods and goddesses, although they called them by different names. “The Akkadians had cultural achievements of their own. Their language gradually replaced the Sumerian language. In art, they became especially well known for their beautiful three-dimensional sculptures. Craftspeople carved relief sculptures on stones. These carved stones are called steles. One famous example is called the Victory Stele. It was created to celebrate a military victory by Sargon’s grandson, King Naram-Sin. The stele shows Naram-Sin leading his victorious army up the slopes of a mountain. Some of his enemies are crushed underfoot. Others die, flee, or beg for mercy. “Sargon had hoped that his empire would last for a thousand years. But later kings found it difficult to rule such a large territory. The empire became weaker and weaker. After about 200 years, the Akkadian Empire fell to new invaders from the north.
Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire about 1750 B.C.E.
“For a time after the fall of the Akkadians, Sumer was once again a collection of city-states. The next ruler to unite all of Mesopotamia was a king named Hammurabi. “Hammurabi was the king of Babylon a small city-state in central Mesopotamia. After conquering the rest of Mesopotamia he made Babylon the capital of his empire. The region under his rule became known as Babylonia.
Hammurabi’s Code Was the First Code of Law for Everyone
“Laws like this one seem harsh to us now. Yet Hammurabi’s code was an important achievement. Although it did not treat all people equally in terms of laws and punishments, it was the first code of laws to apply to everyone. [Note: The Biblical Leader Moses Would Submit the Ten Commandments–Some Conjecture that Moses Would Have Lived During the Babylonian Empire–at about the Time of Hammurabi and His Code of Law–in about 750 B.C.E. The Assyrian Empire was Next and That Began in about 650 B.C.E.] Life in the Babylonian Empire “Babylonia thrived under Hammurabi. He worked to unite the people of his empire. He made the Babylonian god, Marduk, supreme over other gods.Mesopotamia in Bible History – Pagan gods & the Idols – Ancient Mesopotamian Paganism“He built roads and created a postal service. “Agriculture and trade flourished. Hammurabi carefully kept irrigation systems working properly, so the land remained fertile and provided plenty of food. The city of Babylon was on the banks of the Euphrates River, and it became an important center of trade. Babylonians traded with people all along the Persian Gulf. They traded grain and woven cloth for wood, gold, silver, precious gems, and livestock (animals). “Trade helped the empire’s economy.

I rooted out the enemy above and below. I made an end of war. I promoted the welfare of the land…. I have governed the people in peace. I have sheltered them in my strength.

The Assyrian Empire
“The line of kings begun by Hammurabi did not rule Babylonia for long. Over the next several hundred years, a number of groups ruled parts of Babylonia. The next great empire in Mesopotamia was created by a warlike people called the Assyrians. “Assyria lay to the north of Babylon. The Assyrians had lived in Mesopotamia for a long time. They had even briefly had their own empire before being conquered by Hammurabi. They rose to power again toward 900 B.C.E., when a series of rulers began training them for war.
Life Under the Assyrians
The Assyrian Empire was ruled by powerful kings. The Assyrian believed that kings were special beings. So it’s not surprising that they built beautiful palaces for them. The great palace in the capital city of Nineveh had many, many rooms. Some palaces were built on tall mounds so they were higher than all the surrounding buildings. Huge sculptures of winged human-headed bulls or lions stood at the entrances.The Wicked City of Nineveh and the Story of Jonah
[Most Bible Scholars Believe that Jonah lived between about 780 B.C.E and 500 B.C.E] “While the kings ruled, ordinary people farmed the land. Like other groups in Mesopotamia, the Assyrians dug canals to irrigate their land and keep it fertile. They also built some of the earliest aqueducts. A system of canals and aqueducts brought drinking water to Nineveh from 30 miles away.

The Neo-Babylonian Empire about 600 B.C.E.
“After the fall of Nineveh, the Babylonians regained control over Mesopotamia. They established a new empire, the Neo-Babylonian Empire. (Neo means “new.”)King Nebuchadrezzar Ruled During the Neo-Babylonian Empire
The new empire’s most famous king was Nebuchadrezzar II. A ruthless military leader, he reigned from 605 to 562 B.C.E. Nebuchadrezzar expanded his empire whenever he could. He drove the Egyptians out of Syria. He also conquered part of Canaan (present-day Israel), the home of the Hebrews. When the Hebrews rebelled, he took most of them captive and carried them off into Babylonia. Many of them never returned to their homeland. “As a military leader, Nebuchadrezzar knew it was important to keep his capital city, Babylon, safe. He built an inner wall and an outer wall around the city. The walls were so thick that two chariots could pass each other on top of them. Towers were placed on the walls for archers to stand on. Finally, a moat was dug around the outer wall and filled with water. During peacetime, people used bridges to cross the moat and enter the city. In times of war, the bridges were taken down.Life in the Neo-Babylonian Empire
[The Biblical Story of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar Took Place During the Time of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.]

Stars, Astronomy, The Star of Bethlehem and the Magi in the Bible“They created the first sundial, a device for telling time using the sun. They made discoveries that led us to the 60-minute hour and the 7-day week.
The Number 7 and Its Symbolic Significance in the Bible“The Neo-Babylonian Empire lasted only 75 years. ‘In 539 B.C.E., a new conqueror swept into Babylon from the east. His name was Cyrus, and he was the leader of the Persian Empire. The Persians came from the land we now call Iran. For about 200 years, they ruled the most powerful empire in the world. … the Persians themselves were conquered by a man named Alexander the Great Image Credit: History Alive Textbook
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