Old Babylonian Empire

E212543

The Old Babylonian Empire was an ancient Mesopotamian state centered on the city of Babylon, reaching its peak under King Hammurabi in the 18th century BCE and becoming a major political and cultural power in the region.

All labels observed (17)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Bronze Age polity
ancient Mesopotamian state
historical empire
archaeologicalEvidenceFrom clay tablets
inscribed stelae
capital Babylon
centeredOn Babylon
chronologicalContext Middle Bronze Age
culturalInfluence spread of Babylonian law and culture
economyBasedOn agriculture
trade
endTime circa 1595 BCE
expandedOver central Mesopotamia
southern Mesopotamia
fallEvent Hittite sack of Babylon
fellTo Hittite king Mursili I
followedBy Kassite dynasty of Babylon
linked to: Kassite period

Middle Babylonian period
linked to: Kassite period
governmentType monarchy
includedCity Babylon
Eshnunna
Larsa
Mari
knownFor codification of laws
development of Old Babylonian dialect of Akkadian
literary texts and epics
territorial expansion in Mesopotamia
language Akkadian
legalCode Code of Hammurabi
legalTradition Mesopotamian law codes
locatedIn Mesopotamia
mainDeity Marduk
majorRuler Hammurabi
Samsu-iluna
Sin-Muballit
Sumu-abum
Sumu-la-El
militaryFeature city-state armies under royal command
partOf Ancient Near East
peakUnder Hammurabi
politicalStatus regional hegemon in Mesopotamia
precededBy Ur III dynasty
reachedPeakInCentury 18th century BCE
religion Mesopotamian polytheism
startTime circa 1894 BCE
timePeriod Old Babylonian period
usedCalendar lunar calendar
usedScript Old Babylonian cuneiform
writingSystem cuneiform

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (64)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Sumer laterIncorporatedInto Old Babylonian Empire
Code of Hammurabi timePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Akkad influenced Old Babylonian state
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Nippur continuedImportanceIn Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Marduk cultPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ur declinedInPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Epic of Gilgamesh earliestVersionDate Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Sippar flourishedDuring Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Amorites foundedDynasty First Babylonian Dynasty
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Amorites culturalInfluenceOn Old Babylonian culture
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Babylonians timePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Babylonians flourishedDuring Old Babylonian period (c. 2000–1595 BCE)
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi dynasty First Babylonian Dynasty
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi expandedInto Akkad
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Hammurabi era Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Hit hasHistoryPeriod Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Old Assyrian closelyRelatedTo Old Babylonian
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Enuma Elish period Old Babylonian period (early form)
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ancient Near East importantEmpires Old Babylonian Kingdom
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Jubayl historicalRuler Babylonian Empire
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Inanna and the Huluppu Tree period Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Northern Babylonia associatedWithState Old Babylonian kingdom
subject linked to: northern Babylonia
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Northern Babylonia hasArchaeologicalCulture Old Babylonian period
subject linked to: northern Babylonia
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Sumerian literature locatedInTime Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ur III period followedBy Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Kassite period follows Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Kassite period precededBy Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Nuska worshipPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Niffer religiousImportancePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Niffer hasArchaeologicalStrataFrom Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Sarpanit periodOfWorship Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Old Babylonian Empire timePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Larsa flourishedInPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Code of Lipit-Ishtar historicalPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Sud worshipPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ishkur timePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Enkidu firstAttestedIn Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ninsun worshipPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Assyriology studies Babylonian Empire
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Atrahasis timePeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ninurta worshipPeriod Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Middle Babylonian precededBy Old Babylonian
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Akkadian Empire culturalInfluenceOn Babylonian Empire
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Lower Mesopotamia wasCenterOf Old Babylonian Kingdom
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Via Maris associatedWith Babylonian Empire
subject linked to: ancient trade route Via Maris
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Arvad laterRuledBy Babylonian Empire
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Sealand relatedTo Old Babylonian Kingdom
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Ebabbar periodOfUse Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Tell Abu Habbah period Old Babylonian period
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire
Kingdom of Tyre tradedWith Babylonian Empire
linked to: Old Babylonian Empire