Babylon

Babylon, located on the Euphrates about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad, is one of the most important cities of the ancient Near East. In Scripture it appears first in Genesis 10:10 and 11:1–9 (the Tower of Babel narrative). It becomes a central biblical setting as the imperial capital of Nebuchadnezzar II, who destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586 BCE and took much of Judah's population into exile (2 Kings 24–25; Jeremiah 39, 52; Lamentations). The books of Daniel and Ezekiel are largely set there. In Revelation, "Babylon" is used symbolically for a great world power opposed to God (Revelation 17–18); the referent of this symbolic usage (Rome, a future city, or a transhistorical type) is widely debated across Christian traditions. The archaeological site was excavated most extensively by Robert Koldewey for the German Oriental Society (1899–1917); his findings established the layout of the Neo-Babylonian city and are published in open sources. The Ishtar Gate (now in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin) is among the best-known reconstructed monuments.