Short History of Babylon

Much of our perception of Babylon in the West is filtered through the poignant echoes of loss and longing that resonate in the Hebrew Bible. The lamenting exiles of Judah craved a return to their lost homeland after the sack of Jerusalem in 587 BC and their forcible removal by Nebuchadnezzar to the alien floodlands of the Euphrates. But to see Babylon only as an adjunct to Old Testament history is misleading. A Short History of Babylon explores the ever-changing city that shaped world history for two millennia.

Review: Radner begins with amusing anecdotes about the hedonistic connotations of Babylon today and then launches into a history of the city from earliest times to the Roman Empire in this scholarly yet easily readable volume, which includes a time line ... There are illustrations in color and black-and-white, maps, and excerpts from primary sources. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. * CHOICE *