Babylon - The Ancient Near East Today

The Tower of Babel by Pieter Breugel the Elder (1563). While famous throughout European history because of the biblical story, no one knew what the Tower of Babel might have looked like until the 19th-century rediscovery of Mesopotamian ziggurats. In this painting, Bruegel imagined a building like the Colosseum in Rome reaching high into the sky, but unfinished.

August 2023 | Vol. 11.8 By Marc Van De Mieroop “But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the sam

A pair of gold earrings, 24-karrat. The overlying cuneiform inscription mentions the name of the Neo-Sumerian (Ur III) king Shulgi, son of Ur-Nammu. 21st century BCE. On display at the Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq. Photo courtesy of the author.

December 15, 2020

By ANE Today Editor

Archaeological Method Heritage Mesopotamia Museums

Photographing Iraq

Mesopotamia is a difficult place to make a mark. But for one Iraqi neurologist, a passion for archaeological photography has opened Mesopotamia to the world.

Nebuchadnezzar Recovering His Reason, Robert Blyth, 1782. Public domain.

November 26, 2020

By ANE Today Editor

Mesopotamia Pop Culture

Nebuchadnezzar Explained: Warrior King, Rebuilder of Cities, and Musical Muse

Neo-Babylonian kings are unusual sources of musical inspiration, but Nebuchadnezzar is an exception. What have composers from Verdi to Kanye seen in him?

Babylon Tag

Before and After Babel

Photographing Iraq

Nebuchadnezzar Explained: Warrior King, Rebuilder of Cities, and Musical Muse