#esarhaddon

The Marduk Prophecy: Travels of the Statue of a Babylonian God

The Marduk Prophecy is historical fiction created to celebrate the victory over the Elamites of Nebuchadnezzar I. It is not so much relevant as history as it is in understanding the great value the people of a city placed on their patron deity. Marduk was not just some invisible, ethereal being one prayed to in time of need or praised in time of plenty, but a close friend and neighbor who lived just down the road. In the same way one would be distressed today to find one had lost a close friend, so was it to the ancient Babylonians when the statue of their god was taken from them.

Read More

Diez grandes mujeres de la Antigua Mesopotamia: Monarcas, generales y escribas

La vida de las mujeres en la antigua Mesopotamia estaba regulada por una jerarquía patriarcal, pero dentro de esa estructura social hubo muchas que se distinguieron por sí mismas y algunas lograron asumir puestos tradicionalmente masculinos. Hubo mujeres que se desempeñaron como generales, escribas, y aún gobernantes por derecho propio.

he prophet Isaiah announced, there would be another cataclysmic contest between God and the gods of Egypt. Just as in the days of Exodus, God’s judgment of Egypt would be complete. #Isaiah20 #Esarhaddon #Taharqa #KushitePharaoh

This Neo-Assyrian prophecy is part of a tablet of collected prophecies to Esarhaddon by the prophet La-dagil-ili; some prophecies are from the god Aššur, but this one is from Ištar.

...

The word of Ištar of Arbela to Esarhaddon, king of Assyria:

As if I did not give you something that couldn't be done!

Didn't I twist the four buttresses of Assyria and give them to you?  Didn't I defeat your enemy?  Didn't I gather your raging rivals and your foes like butterflies?

But you — what have you given to me?  The food for my banquet is missing, as if there were no temple!  My food is denied to me; my cup is denied to me.  I'm waiting for them, gazing in anticipation.

Ishtar seated on a throne riding a lion.

Part of procession of gods on Victory stele of Esarhaddon.

Babylon: The Gate of the Gods

Babylon was a great cultural and religious center and, at its height, the largest city in the world. The city was referenced with awe by ancient Greek writers and was reportedly the site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its reputation has been tarnished by the many unfavorable references to it in the Bible, beginning with Genesis 11:1-9 and the story of the Tower of Babel, associated with the Etemenanki ("House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth"), the great ziggurat of Babylon.

Read More

Nineveh: The Great Cultural Center That Became the "City of Sin"

Nineveh is mentioned several times in the Bible, where it is associated with sin and vice. Prior to its fall, however, Nineveh was the largest urban center in the world, ornamented by gardens, statuary, parks, and a zoo, and was regarded as a great cultural and religious center. The city was completely destroyed in 612 BCE by the coalition led by the Babylonians and Medes, which toppled the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

Read More