00:00Have you ever imagined a magnificent city in the middle of an ancient desert,
00:04where the world's first laws were written and ancient skyscrapers touched the clouds?
00:10Long before the Romans or Greeks were born, there was one name that made the entire ancient world tremble, Babylon.
00:18Let's dissect the crazy history of how a small mud town mutated into the center of civilization of the universe.
00:24This story begins over 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, the region that is now Iraq.
00:32Initially, Babylon was just a small, insignificant port city, underestimated by the giant kingdoms to the north and south.
00:40But their geographical location was key.
00:44They controlled the main trade routes along two great rivers.
00:48Slowly but surely, the early Babylonian rulers amassed wealth from taxes on trade.
00:53They built thick defensive walls and prepared to pounce on their neighbors.
00:58However, Babylon's true rise wasn't due to military muscle, but to geopolitical acumen.
01:05In 1792 BC, the genius king Hammurabi rose to power.
01:11Instead of direct warfare, Hammurabi employed bloody diplomacy.
01:16He pitted his neighbors against each other, let them destroy each other, and then stepped in as a conquering hero.
01:23But his most powerful weapon was the code of Hammurabi.
01:27The world's first written code, based on the principle of an eye for an eye.
01:32A tooth for a tooth.
01:34This unwavering rule successfully united hundreds of barbarian tribes into a single, subservient civilization.
01:42Under Hammurabi and his successors, Babylon exploded into a metropolis with science far ahead of its time.
01:50Did you know why there are 60 minutes in an hour and 360 degrees in a circle?
01:56It was the Babylonian genius base 60 mathematical system.
02:00They charted the movements of the planets, predicted eclipses, and built the enormous ziggurat that inspired the legendary Tower of
02:09Babel.
02:10They proved that a true empire isn't built solely by the sword.
02:14But also by science out from dusty swamps, Babylon rose to teach humanity about civil law, astronomy, and the ambitions
02:23of a superpower.
02:23So in your analysis, which Babylonian legacy is most vital to the modern world?
02:29The code of justice?
02:31Or the 60-minute time system?
02:33Write your thoughts in the comments column and subscribe for more historical dissections.
