Old Babylonian Empire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Old Babylonian Empire
c. 1894 BC – c. 1595 BC
The extent of the Old Babylonian Empire at the start and end of Hammurabi of Babylon's reign, c. 1792 BC – c. 1750 BC
Capital	Babylon
Common languages	Akkadian (official), Sumerian (literary), Amorite
Religion	Babylonian religion
Government	Monarchy
King
• c. 1894–1881 BC	Sumu-abum (first)
• c. 1626–1595 BC	Samsu-Ditana (last)
Historical era	Bronze Age
• Established	c. 1894 BC
• Sack of Babylon	c. 1595 BC
• Disestablished	c. 1595 BC
Preceded by Succeeded by Isin-Larsa period Kassite dynasty First Sealand dynasty
Today part of	Iraq Syria

The Old Babylonian Empire, also called the First Babylonian Empire, existed from about 1894 BC to 1595 BC. It began after the Third Dynasty of Ur ended the power of Sumer. This period is sometimes called the Isin-Larsa period. Historians still discuss the exact dates for the first dynasty of Babylonia. There are different lists of kings, but this article uses the widely accepted dates from "Babylonian King List A."

Finding Out About the First Dynasty

It's tough for historians to learn about the start of the First Babylonian dynasty. This is because the ancient city of Babylon has very few old buildings or items left. The ground there has a high water table, which means it's often wet. This makes it hard for old materials to survive.

What we do have are written records. These include royal writings, religious texts, and lists of important events each year. There aren't many records about daily life or money matters. But the stories and year lists help us understand when things happened.

Early Kings of the Empire

Tablet showing the name of Hammurabi, a famous King of Babylon. This tablet is in the British Museum.

We don't know much about the first kings, from Sumuabum to Sin-muballit. We know they were Amorites, not Akkadians. They didn't make the empire much bigger.

The first known king, Sumuabum, worked to expand Babylon. He conquered nearby cities like Dilbat and Kish. His follower, Sumualailum, finished building a wall around Babylon. He also stopped rebellions and even took control of Nippur for a short time.

Kings like Sabium, Apil-Sin, and Sin-muballit kept ruling the lands. They also made the city walls stronger and started building canals. Sin-muballit is known for defeating Rim-Sin I, which kept Babylon safe. His son, Hammurabi, then became king.

King Hammurabi's Reign

This carving shows Hammurabi (standing) receiving his power from the sun god Shamash. It's on the top of the stone with Hammurabi's code of laws.

Code of Hammurabi

The code written on clay tablets

The code carved on a stone pillar

Two versions of the Code of Hammurabi at the Louvre museum.

Hammurabi ruled Babylon from 1792 to 1750 BC. He is one of the most famous ancient kings. When he started, his empire was small, just a few towns near Babylon. These included Dilbat, Sippar, Kish, and Borsippa.

By 1762 BC, Hammurabi captured Eshnunna. This gave him control of important trade routes and made his empire stronger. Soon after, his armies took over Assyria and parts of the Zagros Mountains. In 1761 BC, Babylon gained control of Mari. This meant Hammurabi ruled almost all the land that was once part of the Third Dynasty of Ur.

During his 30th year as king, Hammurabi conquered Larsa from Rim-Sin I. This gave him control over rich cities like Nippur, Ur, Uruk, and Isin. Hammurabi was very important because he united Southern Mesopotamia. He made Babylon the main city of his empire, which then ruled Mesopotamia for over a thousand years.

The Code of Hammurabi

One of Hammurabi's greatest achievements is the Code of Hammurabi. This is one of the oldest written law codes in history. It's carved in cuneiform writing on a tall stone pillar, about 2.25 meters (7 feet 4½ inches) high.

At the top of the stone, there's a carving of Hammurabi receiving his power from the sun god Shamash. Below this, all the laws are written. The text explains that Hammurabi created these laws to bring justice to his land. He believed these laws were given to him by the gods.

Hammurabi wrote, "When the god Marduk commanded me to provide just ways for the people... I established truth and justice." The code then lists many laws. These laws describe fair punishments for crimes and rules for people to live by.

Insights from Mari Archives

Zimri-Lim, the king of Mari, helped modern historians a lot. His palace had many written records. These records tell us about the history and diplomacy of the First Babylonian dynasty during Hammurabi's time.

The archives from Babylon itself are lost because they are under the water table. But Zimri-Lim's palace at Mari was burned by Hammurabi. This fire actually helped preserve the clay tablets. These documents include letters about alliances between kings and military matters.

After Hammurabi: The Empire's Decline

We know less about the kings who ruled after Hammurabi. From Samsuiluna to Samsuditana, there are few records. Samsuiluna did defeat Rim-Sîn II. However, Babylon lost much of the land Hammurabi had conquered. The kings who followed faced similar problems.

The First Babylonian dynasty eventually weakened. It lost land and money. Finally, the Hittites, who were expanding from Anatolia, attacked and destroyed Babylon. After this, the Kassite Period began, lasting from 1570 to 1154 BC. The Kassites had already been in the region for a long time before Babylon fell.

The Sun and Sky in Babylonia

A cylinder seal from ancient Babylonia, made around the 18th–17th century BC.

The sun was very important to the Old Babylonians. Shamash was their god of the sun, justice, and telling the future. As mentioned in Hammurabi's Code, Shamash was seen as guiding Hammurabi. He represented the idea that the king would bring justice to the land, just as Shamash did as a god.

Ancient Babylonians also studied the sky. They observed the sun, moon, and planets. For example, there are famous clay tablets called the Venus tablets of Ammisaduqa. These tablets record observations of the planet Venus. Such records help historians understand the timing of events in ancient Babylonia.

Ancient Babylonian Seals

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  Devotion scene

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  Hero fighting two winged demons

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  Presentation to a divinity

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  Scene of devotion with inscription

Kings of the First Dynasty

Here is a list of the kings of the First Babylonian Dynasty, using the "middle chronology" dates:

King		Reigned	Comments
Sumu-abum or Su-abu		c. 1894–1881 BC	Lived at the same time as Ilushuma of Assyria
Sumu-la-El		c. 1881–1845 BC	Lived at the same time as Erishum I of Assyria
Sabium or Sabum		c. 1845–1831 BC	Son of Sumu-la-El
Apil-Sin		c. 1831–1813 BC	Son of Sabium
Sin-muballit		c. 1813–1792 BC	Son of Apil-Sin
Hammurabi (Most important ruler)		c. 1792–1750 BC	Son of Sin-Mubalit. Lived at the same time as Zimri-Lim of Mari, Siwe-palar-huppak of Elam and Shamshi-Adad I of Assyria.
Samsu-iluna		c. 1750–1712 BC	Son of Hammurabi
Abi-eshuh or Abieshu		c. 1712–1684 BC	Son of Samsu-iluna
Ammi-ditana		c. 1684–1647 BC	Son of Abi-eshuh
Ammi-saduqa or Ammisaduqa		c. 1647–1626 BC	Known for the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa
Samsu-Ditana		c. 1626–1595 BC	Babylon was attacked by the Hittites.

See also

• Chronology of the Ancient Near East
• Kings of Babylon
• List of lists of ancient kings
• List of Mesopotamian dynasties
• Short chronology timeline
• Timeline of the Assyrian Empire