Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek
Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek
3 Rating(s)
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Babylon
Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization

Author: Paul Kriwaczek

Narrator: Derek Perkins

Unabridged: 12 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/27/2019

Synopsis

Civilization was born eight thousand years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place.

In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period and explores the political and social systems, as well as the technical and cultural innovations, which made this land extraordinary. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi from about 1800 BCE. Even as Babylon's fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as the ancient world's greatest city.

Engaging and compelling, Babylon reveals the splendor of the ancient world that laid the foundation for civilization itself.

About Paul Kriwaczek

Paul Kriwaczek was born in Vienna. He traveled extensively in Asia and Africa before developing a career in broadcasting and journalist. In 1970, he joined the BBC full-time and wrote, produced, and directed for twenty-five years. He also served as head of Central Asian Affairs at the BBC World Service. He is the author of Yiddish Civilisation: The Rise and Fall of a Forgotten Nation, which was shortlisted for the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Literary Award, as well as In Search of Zarathustra: The First Prophet and the Ideas that Changed the World.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim on July 19, 2022

This is excellent history, going into detail to show aspects of the culture of the people, but also covering a grand sweep of history covering almost 5000 years. Kriwaczek shows the rise and fall of the power centers of Mesopotamia, from Uruk, with the earliest writing, to the final fall of Babylon......more

Goodreads review by Ali on August 10, 2024

**به روزرسانی یادداشت‌ها «به خدا قسم که تمام این‌ها خواست خودش بود. این تصمیم حاضر و آماده از جانب خدا رسید و نقش ما در آن تقریبن صفر بود.» «من ماموریتی از جانب خدا دارم. خدا به من گفت که برو و در افغانستان با تروریست‌ها بجنگ و من این کار را کردم. بعد گفت به عراق برو و به ستم در آنجا پایان بده و باز م......more

Goodreads review by Carlos on May 02, 2018

The subject of Babylon is only touched upon on the last 80 pages of the book , it mostly focuses in Mesopotamia and how city culture evolved there and the reasons that made it so. It also goes to explain the Sumerian Empire , the Assyrian Empire, the Old Babylonian Empire and finally the Neo Babylon......more

Goodreads review by Brian on July 16, 2022

Kriwaczek is one of the finest tour guides you could wish for. He combines interesting casual banter with gripping narration and great research. He brings things alive, and both the wonders and horrors he portrays are almost unforgettable. For example, he explains that our first written record about......more

Goodreads review by Libby on March 19, 2015

The Land Between the Rivers is the literal translation of Mesopotamia. It has a magical sound to it, with overtones of fairy tale to my ears. In my fourth grade geography book, there was a map of the Fertile Crescent and I used to stare at it and dream of fantastic palaces and kings and queens and t......more

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