Babylonians and Semites - Middle Bronze Age

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on Babylon, Semites, and Mesopotamian culture.

Semites

People originating in Africa who migrated into Mesopotamian (Semitic) lands, including the Babylonians.

Middle Bronze Age

Timeframe in Babylonian history roughly 1800–538 BCE.

Hammurabi

Famous Babylonian king who received a law code from the god Shamash.

Shamash

Sun god who revealed the law code to Hammurabi.

Code of Hammurabi

One of the oldest known law codes, said to be given by Shamash to Hammurabi.

Zodiac

Babylonian invention: division of the sky into 12 signs for celestial/astrological purposes.

Sexagesimal

Babylonian base-60 numeric system used for time and angles.

Babylon rebuilt under Saddam Hussein

The ancient city of Babylon was rebuilt under Saddam Hussein.

Tower of Babel (Ziggurat at Babylon)

A ziggurat at Babylon, a monumental temple-tower often associated with the biblical Tower of Babel.

Cuneiform

Wedge-shaped writing system used by Mesopotamians, inscribed on clay tablets.

Clay tablets

Baked clay tablets bearing cuneiform inscriptions, used to preserve laws, myths, and flood narratives.

Marduk

Chief god of Babylon; patron deity and protector of the city.