improve: Babylonia

civilizations/babylonia.md

@@ -1,40 +1,44 @@
 <!-- factbase:c1f224 -->
 # Babylonia
 
-# Babylonia
-
 ## Overview
-Babylonia was a major Mesopotamian civilization centered on the city of Babylon, with two principal periods of dominance: the Old Babylonian period under Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) and the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE) under Nebuchadnezzar II. @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE]
+Babylonia was a major Mesopotamian civilization centered on the city of Babylon, with three principal periods: the Old Babylonian period (~1894–1595 BCE), the Kassite (Middle Babylonian) period (~1595–1155 BCE), and the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE). The Old Babylonian period reached its height under Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE), who unified Mesopotamia and issued the Code of Hammurabi. The Neo-Babylonian Empire, founded by Nabopolassar and reaching its zenith under Nebuchadnezzar II, was the last native Mesopotamian empire before Persian conquest. @t[1894 BCE..539 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Central-southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)
 - Old Babylonian period: ~1894–1595 BCE @t[1894 BCE..1595 BCE]
+- Kassite (Middle Babylonian) period: ~1595–1155 BCE @t[1595 BCE..1155 BCE]
 - Neo-Babylonian period: 626–539 BCE @t[626 BCE..539 BCE]
 - Capital: Babylon
 - Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect)
+- Chief deity: Marduk
 
 ## Notable Rulers
 - Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE): Unified Mesopotamia, issued the Code of Hammurabi @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE] [^1]
-- Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE): Built the Ishtar Gate, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem (586 BCE) @t[605 BCE..562 BCE]
+- Nabopolassar (626–605 BCE): Founded the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire after the fall of Assyria @t[626 BCE..605 BCE] [^3]
+- Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE): Built the Ishtar Gate and Etemenanki ziggurat, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem (586 BCE) @t[605 BCE..562 BCE] [^3]
 - Nabonidus (556–539 BCE): Last native king, defeated by Cyrus the Great @t[556 BCE..539 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Code of Hammurabi: One of the earliest comprehensive legal codes (~1754 BCE) @t[~1754 BCE]
 - Advanced astronomy and mathematics (predicted eclipses, developed algebra)
+- Etemenanki: Great ziggurat of Babylon ("House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth"), dedicated to Marduk; associated with the Tower of Babel legend; described by Herodotus as a massive stepped tower @t[~600 BCE] [^4]
+- Esagila: Main temple complex of Marduk in Babylon, center of Babylonian religious life [^4]
 - Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the Seven Wonders, existence debated) [^2]
 - Ishtar Gate and Processional Way
+- Babylonian Captivity (597–539 BCE): Nebuchadnezzar II deported the population of Judah to Babylon following the destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE); ended when Cyrus the Great permitted the exiles to return @t[597 BCE..539 BCE] [^3]
 
 ## Decline
-The Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE. @t[=539 BCE]
+The Old Babylonian period ended when the Hittites sacked Babylon (~1595 BCE), after which the Kassite dynasty ruled for nearly 400 years. @t[~1595 BCE] [^3] The Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE. @t[=539 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Roth, M.T. *Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor* (1997)
 [^2]: Dalley, S. *The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon* (2013)
+[^3]: Van De Mieroop, M. *A History of the Ancient Near East* (3rd ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2015)
+[^4]: Herodotus, *Histories* 1.178–183
 ---
 
-## Review Queue
 
-<!-- factbase:review -->
 - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Region: Central-southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)" - when was this true?
 > Historical event. Attested by Roth (1997) [^1]; Dalley (2013) [^2].
 - [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Old Babylonian period: ~1894–1595 BCE" - when was this true?