Babylonian civilization Babilani (Akkadian for “The Gates of God/s”)

Another civilization during the Ancient times is the Babylonian civilization. This place is in the border of
the famous Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq. It is one great civilization that span from about 3500
B.C.E. until 500 B.C.E.

There are two prominent leaders that rule the Babylonian empire. They are Hammurabi 1792 to 1750
B.C.E. and Nebuchadnezzar II 604 to 562 B.C.E.

In any group of people association organizations kingdom or empire the recognized head or king usually
will have to devise some rules and regulations for his people or subjects to follow to maintain peace
harmony and prosperity in the empire or kingdom.

Historians have noted that Hammurabi promulgated his code of law a vital instrument for him to rule
the empire. The code reinforced “An eye for an eye” mentality. Laws focused on property rights,
slaves, children and women’s rights, murder, theft and marriage Punishment differed based on a
person’s social class Hammurabi Code Laws were introduced for two main reasons To establish order
in a land in constant conflict To represent a king’s beliefs of justice Several laws were written to
protect the poor and powerless from abuse. The Babylonians adopted the Samarian Sexagesimal System
of counting in units and intervals of 60 which served as the basis for graduating the circumference of a
circle to 360° and the 60 minutes equal graduations one-hour duration in time. Babylonians likewise dig
canals and develop earthen dikes to irrigate their crops and provide water to their livestock.

Nebuchadnezzar II, who possess the attribute and talent of a structural builder is credited for the
construction of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. “Hanging Gardens” with the water was raised
from the river by hydraulic pumps. The gardens were said to have looked like a large green mountain
constructed of mud bricks, rising from the center of the city. According to one legend, Nebuchadnezzar
II built the Hanging Gardens for his Median wife, Queen Amytis, because she missed the green hills and
valleys of her homeland. He also built a grand palace that came to be known as 'The Marvel of the
Mankind'. It was the most magnificent building ever erected on earth. Because of the lack of evidence, it
has been suggested that the Hanging Gardens are purely mythical and If it did indeed exist, it was
destroyed sometime after the first century AD. Ziggurats were huge "stepped" structures with, on their
summit, far above the ground, a temple. The same could be done on ground level but on top of the
ziggurat they would be "nearer the god". Therefore, the ziggurat was not just a religious centre but also
a center of civic pride.

Middle ages
The period of history between the ancient times and the modern times from the fall of the Western
Roman empire centered in Rome in 476 A.D. to the fall of the eastern Roman empire centered in
Constantinople in 1453 A.D. represents the so-called middle ages or medieval times in Western Europe.

In between these events Western Europe tried it’s best to recover from the ruins and in some other
parts of the world there was an increase in the development of cultures dynasty and empires. such
empires dynasty and civilizations are the Christian empire of Byzantine in the eastern Mediterranean the
Arab civilization in the middle east and the T’ang dynasty in China the Nara culture of Japan and the
great civilization of Maya in central America.
During the middle ages Europe experiences some difficult tees in carrying out the recovery programs.
The Catholic Church having some sort of wealth and power played an important role during the period.
The Catholic monastery became the centers of learning and source of relief for the sick and the needy.
The monks got idea of copying and preserving the manuscripts and other documents of the ancient
classical learning for posterity. Scholars put more emphasis in studying theology rather than science.

In contrast the Arabs in the middle east try to preserve the scientific knowledge they acquired from the
Greco-Roman influence. All information and documents at hand were carefully translated by their
scholars into Arabic. The Arabs were able to demonstrate important scientific achievements in the field
of astronomy medicine and mathematics. In about 1000 A.D. the important scientific achievements of
Arab scientists were translated into Latin. This development together with introduction of the Hindu
Arabic number system in Europe indicated an important signal on the significance of science and
mathematics in the development of modern science. When the first institutions of learning where
established in Europe science and mathematics were given attention as a component in the educational
development process.