Babylon Life

Slave

The community in Babylonia was divided during different eras, to the multiple layers. First aristocracy upper class which usually includes government officials and military leaders, priests, wealthy landowners and some traders, the layer of the general population was composed of artisans, clerks, farmers this was followed by a thin layer which formed the lowest strata of Babylonian society which is the Slave. Some researchers say that the beginning of the slave or slavery was free citizens, but they turned to slaves for selling themselves as a result of the debt or hunger or they are sold when they were children by parents because of extreme poverty and this was common in the Mesopotamia, as for Babylon what is understood from the Code of Hammurabi the main source for slave was from outside, through trade not through wars. It was not slavery in the land of Babylon closed caste system but it is likely that the liberal is located in slavery and the slave could have his freedom and it was not strange he can marriage to free women, salve also could get property if his master approve that, he can get his freedom if he had money and pay it to his master, however if the slave dead his property turned to his master.

Holidays

The life of the Babylonians even slaves were not Life of misery and fatigue or work continuously without days of rest, public holidays and all business activities cease during religious holidays that took several days of each month and not on the basis of the week as in the case with the Jewish holidays (at that time) the people and even priests had a wonderful time for Lance, Festival , bustle and immorality.

Food and drink

The people food in Babylon for slaves and free people on both the first degree based on Barley. Which provided beer as well as other varieties of grains such as wheat, rice and others they used to eat leavened bread perhaps in the form of circles placed on the kiln gives very delicious food, this way still used in Iraq but with fermentation the bread .The onion was more widespread and vegetables were beans, lentils, lettuce, cucumber and Bzalia used in the work of soup the dates were also a major part of the country’s food Babylonians and Mesopotamia. Also they used wine made from fruits that were grown were apples, pomegranates, figs, apricots and peaches. There were several types of beer, known in Babylon the preparation of beer until the reign of Hammurabi limited to women where this industry was the only one under the protection of the gods where wine sellers said explicitly in the Code of Hammurabi and it was also under gaurd protiction. Milk was available from cows and goats, due to high temperature and speed of the damage in southern Mesopotamia; it was used in the yogurt industry or butter and cheese. As for fish, fishing was in the river, it was mentioned many types of fish in the administrative documentation at the time of the Babylonian. The flesh of cows, goats and sheep eaten in celebrations and a large proportion of this meat offered to temples as offerings to the gods to accept them and get their satisfaction, there were messages said the two oxen were fastened to the degree that ox was unable to stand on his legs .For water was the first drink and they drop off in large pottery vessels to cool it but when they travel keep it in backpacks that made from animal skins.

Housing and housing equipment

The Babylonian citizen housing was made from a clay hut with a thick wall and without windows it was commended for almost without planning, the doors were lower even if someone want to enter inside he must to stoop. the roofs made of clay with palm branches were often the houses sharing with one wall. However ,there were better houses built from burnt clay It is natural that the home equipment was different from one period to another and one place to another and from riches to poor families. It is unfortunate that the natural soil in Iraq did not help to preserve the wood materials and textiles while metal and stone tools were left on for a longer period, for foods the Babylonians used to use their hands but the archaeologists found a fork made from bone with one finger in large numbers and used knives and spoons made from bone they also found Cups, bowls and dishes made of clay , wood , stone or metal where they found also a copper pot is like frying used today, legumes, processed by grinding so there must be a mortar in any Babylon house. The mill also presents in the kitchen to grind grain and made bread, the mill was made from volcanic stone. This was imported from northern Mesopotamia through trade .As for the Babylonian Jewelry in the houses it contains earrings, ornaments, beads, necklaces and bracelets extensions with accessories like dishes ointment to oiling the body. Poor houses were not furnished with furniture made of wood just with the aristocratic families, but was equipped with fitted floor mats made from palm leaves or goat hair, pillows and blankets made from wool they also used Protractor (stoves) of the charcoal to heat homes in winter season.

Clothing

Babylon clothing shape was like long rope hanging and there was a belt around the waist, as for solders there were wearing long rope hanging on the shoulders fasten in hooks, for women they wearing Long robes placed on the shoulder or wraps as shawl.

Marriage and sexual relationship

The marriage ceremony was happening in the temple in the presence of the temple priests the woman was enjoyment in similar social status of the husband .In contrast, it was not shame for husband goes to prostitutes or retain maids ,the son for these Maids become slaves only if master accepted them they would become legal. Archeologists found many of the texts and sayings Known that sexual deviations were found in Babylonian society. Sexually transmitted diseases, as well as disability, premature ejaculation, despite all issues the marriage happens was exist. Sexual position that more was known face to face. However, historian found the statues of other conditions show different sexually positions there was a text indicates that the priestess was to allow herself to have sex once in a year, they did not find any evidence of circumcision in the life of the Babylonians .Unlike was known to the Egyptians( Pharaohs). It was a great role for the women in the community of Babylonian as the priestesses of the temple were to have the power and authority as well as women rulers had the influence and role in Babylonian society.

Education and schools

The invention of writing in Mesopotamia was the most important thing ever in human history this invention doesn’t belong to Babylon but it’s for the Alsomurion. It is a civilization older than the civilization of Babylon but the Babylonians were the ones who start building and create a most important of these schools in the era of Babylonian. Spar is the first school located southwest of Baghdad, about twenty miles, mentioned in the book of the Torah on behalf of safar and IM. in (1878 – 1871) .Spar been explored by the English Mission hundreds of the panels and started a large number of archaeological figure had been discovered, they came back again in (1881-1882) the chief for this commission was Sir Wallis PAGE they discovered thousand of board the first organized school built in the world It contained a set of images for many school boards as well as Photographs panels astronomical, historical and literary blessings and prayers, spare school was the largest and more spacious than any other school contain many rooms well organized there was registered board for students also they registered those students who came late , rooms were divided for big students and small students all students had border made from clay to write on it the date for this school was belong to Hammurabi era (1792 -1750) BC. It was one of the greats school there was also another school came after it like Kish, Nbur,Ark, and other schools.

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Health & Psychology

According to some texts of clay had been found that some of the mental illnesses were existed in Babylon society. Psychological was one of the forms of impotence psychological disadvantages suffered by some of the ancient world .The common diseases were a disease of fever, headache, sinus infections, tonsillitis and rheumatism as well as jaundice, dysentery was very common also and found that the herbal medicine as a key element in the Babylonians doctors .

Crime

The crime of all kinds was known in the ancient world Babylonian texts mention that there were young people trying to murder their father because of money there were murderers, rapists , thieves and forgers. As an example of pilferage reveal one of the messages sent from one employee to another where the employee said he had found by the authorities of the temple was a crook disused of quantities of barley for his own distributed by the temple authorities.the temple authorities ordered this employee pilferage restore the stolen amount. The punishment in Babylon era for crimes was either death or a fine or stay in detain until the trial starts.

Babylon Family life

I’m not exaggerating when I say that some of the habits of the Babylonians still exists to some extent now in the Iraqi society which is the heir to the Babylonian customs despite the passage of thousands of years. When the Archaeologists found the messages back to the correspondence between the citizens of Babylon those archaeologist were able to identify Babylon personality through his writing style and content of messages as the Babylonians were professional in their writing for messages and the method for expressing their grieve everyday problems or happiness and they use language in their correspondence rolling quite different from the official language used on the governmental institutions of the State Archaeologists has concluded from these messages that the human Babylonian characterized in faith and loyalty for his king the conclusion that I found is that there are some similarities between the Iraqi contemporary personality and Babylonian personality especially in the south of Iraq, where the view of these customs or traditions is still ongoing. The evidence established the existence of similarities between both personalities is a word that my brother or my sister this word is still used to this day in some Iraqi society specialty in the south the other similarity is where sadness at the death of a family member shows the Babylonians their grieve through the slapping, which causes scratching the face and chest and tearing the clothes that cover the body, besides there was a man attending the funeral doing some blessings and some prayer loudly ,the body was placed in the tomb of mud and buried his body under the house to either remain immortal in spirit all over the house, or buried ina cemetery in general. The Kings and their families they were placed in tombs of stone or brick and were placed some personal possessions of the deceased with food and water because they believe there was life after death and dead person needs the food and drink according to Babylonian belief. When a new born baby in the family of Babylonian this was special event the Babylonians were preparing the offerings and prayers to the gods when they wish a child. When the child was born the family suspends the spell for the expulsion of malevolent eyes and more often than the midwife or mother help in the set for her newborn after birth the father name the child the names that was given to a child depending on a certain similarity of feelings or wishes or a special relationship between the gods and the owners of the house but also called the child according to his personal activates caring and feeding the child for rich families was for midwife contracted with her for two or three years .Babylon family bond was strong which could not find any document indicating throwing the baby out of the house or disowned him, In more documentation had been talking about adopting children in order to help their parents in old age.