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# Babylon

# Babylon

## Overview
Babylon was one of the most important cities of the ancient world, located on the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq. It served as the capital of the Babylonian Empire and was renowned for its monumental architecture.

## Key Facts
- Location: Central Mesopotamia, ~85 km south of modern Baghdad, Iraq
- Period of prominence: ~1894 BCE – 539 BCE
- Modern site: Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019

## Major Features
- Ishtar Gate: Glazed brick gate decorated with dragons and bulls, built under Nebuchadnezzar II (~575 BCE) [^1]
- Processional Way: Ceremonial avenue leading to the Esagila temple
- Etemenanki: Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk, possibly the inspiration for the Tower of Babel
- Hanging Gardens: One of the Seven Wonders (existence and location debated) [^2]

## Archaeological History
- Excavated by Robert Koldewey (1899–1917) for the German Oriental Society
- Ishtar Gate reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
- Site suffered damage during the Iraq War (2003–2004) from military base construction

---
[^1]: Koldewey, R. *The Excavations at Babylon* (1914)
[^2]: Dalley, S. *The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon* (2013)
---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Location: Central Mesopotamia, ~85 km south of modern Baghdad, Iraq" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Period of prominence: ~1894 BCE – 539 BCE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Modern site: Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "Ishtar Gate: Glazed brick gate decorated with dragons and bulls, built under ..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Processional Way: Ceremonial avenue leading to the Esagila temple" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Etemenanki: Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk, possibly the inspiration for the To..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Hanging Gardens: One of the Seven Wonders (existence and location debated) [^2]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 22: "Excavated by Robert Koldewey (1899–1917) for the German Oriental Society" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 23: "Ishtar Gate reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Site suffered damage during the Iraq War (2003–2004) from military base con..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Location: Central Mesopotamia, ~85 km south of modern Baghdad, Iraq" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Period of prominence: ~1894 BCE – 539 BCE" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Modern site: Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Processional Way: Ceremonial avenue leading to the Esagila temple" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Etemenanki: Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk, possibly the inspiration for the To..." - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 22: "Excavated by Robert Koldewey (1899–1917) for the German Oriental Society" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 23: "Ishtar Gate reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin" - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Site suffered damage during the Iraq War (2003–2004) from military base con..." - what is the source?
> Koldewey (1914) [^1], Dalley (2013) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 16: "Ishtar Gate: Glazed brick gate decorated with dragons and bulls, built under ..." - Koldewey source from 1914 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Koldewey (1914) excavation findings confirmed by modern archaeology.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 19: "Hanging Gardens: One of the Seven Wonders (existence and location debated) [^2]" - Dalley source from 2013 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Dalley (2013) research represents latest scholarly consensus on Hanging Gardens.