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Babylonian Life and History
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1886 edition by The Religious Tract Society, London.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
About the author
E.A. Wallis Budge
1,549 books168 followersSir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge was an English Egyptologist, Orientalist, and philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient Near East.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 29, 2014
Despite my seemingly harsh review, this book isn't terrible. It's a decent primer that contains a tremendous amount of information on the history of the region known as Babylonia. However, my rating is low for three reasons:
1 - It's incredibly dated. This book was written in 1925, and many studies have come to light since that time. This affects his chronology and his knowledge of texts that brought to light connections between religious beliefs of neighboring civilizations.
2 - Continuing from #2, the author a great deal of bias in regard to the Old Testament. He is in denial over the connections between Babylonian and Israelite creation myths, and connects Egyptian and Babylonian mythology to an undue degree. Studies since this period (by less biased scholars) have shown a great deal of synchronicity between the Bible and earlier Middle-Eastern mythology.
3 - The author's method of writing is jumbled and disorganized, which makes him difficult to follow at times. This is especially evident during the early parts of the book, when he simply rambles off lists of kings of various cities, regions and dynasties. This is repeated during sections detailing mythology. Perhaps the editor should add a chart.
The end of the book does, however, give an interesting overview of then-current excavations in what was once known as Babylonia. Nonetheless, I'd look for a different book if you're interested in this subject.
1 - It's incredibly dated. This book was written in 1925, and many studies have come to light since that time. This affects his chronology and his knowledge of texts that brought to light connections between religious beliefs of neighboring civilizations.
2 - Continuing from #2, the author a great deal of bias in regard to the Old Testament. He is in denial over the connections between Babylonian and Israelite creation myths, and connects Egyptian and Babylonian mythology to an undue degree. Studies since this period (by less biased scholars) have shown a great deal of synchronicity between the Bible and earlier Middle-Eastern mythology.
3 - The author's method of writing is jumbled and disorganized, which makes him difficult to follow at times. This is especially evident during the early parts of the book, when he simply rambles off lists of kings of various cities, regions and dynasties. This is repeated during sections detailing mythology. Perhaps the editor should add a chart.
The end of the book does, however, give an interesting overview of then-current excavations in what was once known as Babylonia. Nonetheless, I'd look for a different book if you're interested in this subject.
October 25, 2020
I found this book to be informative, perhaps because I don't have a lot of background knowledge about Babylon. The writing is dated, and some chapters of this book seem designed for specialists, while others seem designed for general readers. As a result, it didn't really cohere into one book with a clear message. Nevertheless, I learned quite a few interesting facts. For example:
*In its last centuries, Babylonia was not very stable. Assyrians took over in 732, were ejected in 625, and were completely destroyed only thirteen years after that. The Babylonian regime that replaced the Assyrians was itself ejected by Persia after less than a century in power.
*I had always thought there was just one ziggurat (the inspiration for the Biblical Tower of Babel)- but in fact, there were a few of them, and the largest may have been as much as 300 feet high.
*The Code of Hammurabi was remarkably severe; for example, a temple woman (the local equivalent of Rome's vestal virgins) could be burnt (presumably to death) just for entering a wine shop.
*Although Babylon was very polytheistic, Babylonians wrote wisdom literature that seems awfully similar to the Book of Proverbs.
*The Babylonian calendar, like the modern Jewish calendar on which it is based, had "leap months" to make the lunar and solar years coincide. (However, we Jews just have a second Adar in the spring; Babylonians had the option of adding a second Elul in the fall).
*Apparently, the city of Babylon declined because a river changed course, and its location no longer made sense.
*In its last centuries, Babylonia was not very stable. Assyrians took over in 732, were ejected in 625, and were completely destroyed only thirteen years after that. The Babylonian regime that replaced the Assyrians was itself ejected by Persia after less than a century in power.
*I had always thought there was just one ziggurat (the inspiration for the Biblical Tower of Babel)- but in fact, there were a few of them, and the largest may have been as much as 300 feet high.
*The Code of Hammurabi was remarkably severe; for example, a temple woman (the local equivalent of Rome's vestal virgins) could be burnt (presumably to death) just for entering a wine shop.
*Although Babylon was very polytheistic, Babylonians wrote wisdom literature that seems awfully similar to the Book of Proverbs.
*The Babylonian calendar, like the modern Jewish calendar on which it is based, had "leap months" to make the lunar and solar years coincide. (However, we Jews just have a second Adar in the spring; Babylonians had the option of adding a second Elul in the fall).
*Apparently, the city of Babylon declined because a river changed course, and its location no longer made sense.
February 10, 2019
Budge brought much illumination on the culture of Babylon. Highlighting literature, religious practices, and monarchs (both the inconsequential and the highly impactful), this book teaches the reader a lot about the culture that God brought up high, in order to ultimately demonstrate to Israel and Judah how much they need God, before bringing the Babylonian Empire crashing down with a slew of weaker empires to follow in its footsteps. Regardless of Budge's original intent, this is further historical evidence and support of the Bible and gives great context to the books of Daniel, 2nd Chronicles, and 2 Kings.
October 18, 2018
An older book to be sure, being from the 1920s, but informative nonetheless; especially appreciated was the drawings of cuneiform and the various translations provided. A classic on Babylonia.
February 15, 2025
A dated but nonetheless readable and interesting classic of Assyriology. Presents a fairly comprehensive portrait of Babylonian civilization and its Near East neighbors/offshoots.
May 30, 2019
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: history, Middle/Eastern history, ancient history, Babylonia, ancient civilizations, nonfiction
This book is a wonderful fountain of information regarding Babylonia, even if it was originally published in 1883 and revised in 1925. Obviously, this means some things in the book are outdated or have proven to be incorrect since it was originally published--one of the reasons I deducted a star. Likewise, it also means that the writing is difficult to understand at times. There were several passages I had to reread to make sure I was understanding them completely--another reason for the deducted star. It also felt a bit more like an overview, due to the shortness of the book and the number of things it covered, but I found as I read on I didn't really mind the 'overview' feeling of the writing.
Despite the above two complaints, I still think the book acts as a good guide to Ancient Babylonia. I enjoyed the topics covered in the book, and appreciated that Budge went over geography and history first before going into more detail about the religion, cities, laws, and people of Babylonia. Obviously, the entire book is about the history, but providing background information for people who aren't too familiar with the time or culture definitely helps with comprehension.
I was pleased with the number of plates included in the book as well. It's one thing to read a description of art or a map from the time period, and another thing entirely to actually see said art or map. It helped me to visualize the style of of art as well as the artifacts used during the time period, which I appreciated. One of the other things I really really liked about the book was how Budge included cuneiform in the text. There is a specific chapter dedicated to language and education, but the cuneiform can be found throughout the entire book alongside many of the people and place names Budge provides. I'm not 100% on how accurate his translations are (I do not know Sumerian in any sense), but I still enjoyed puzzling out common symbols and getting a light grasp on how the written language worked.
It should come as no surprise, then, when I say my favorite chapter was the Writing and Learning chapter. Budge spent time going back and showing how pictographs began changing to cuneiform as more tools became available, and how that early cuneiform was transformed into the later form of it via the same process. He provides examples of this process a couple times, pointing out how the details of certain pictographs were lost to early cuneiform while others stayed, and then how some of those details got accentuated and others lost as early cuneiform evolved into later forms of the writing. I think Budge provides the most visual evidence in this section, which helps the reader better understand what he's talking about in terms of 'detailing' and 'wedge.' My only disappointment with this chapter is that we don't get a table that translates the symbols to their phonology in a more comprehensive manner. We have the translations he provides, as well as descriptions and examples of how the numbering system worked, but we don't get anywhere near a comprehensive example of how the symbology and phonology connect (other than the obvious: one symbol for one sound).
Some of my other favorite chapters were the ones that dealt with the religion, myths, and legends that were present in Babylonia. I definitely think this is where Budge's expertise truly shines through, since there are multiple chapters on different aspects of the subject. Budge takes his time to explain several of the Babylonian myths and legends in detail, and he later goes back and references some of them. He also spends some time near the beginning of the book explaining the pantheon of gods--what gods there were, how they related, what they did, etc.--as well as how they evolved as the society evolved, and how some gods who were prominent during one period became less prominent during another, and vice versa.
I think Budge did and excellent job compiling and presenting his research on Ancient Babylonia in this book. He covers a wide range of topics, some in greater detail than others, in a relatively short span of pages. While it does feel a bit like an overview of Babylonia in general, and it can be a bit hard to understand at times, I definitely think it's worth the read if you're interested in the topic.
Recommended for people who like: history, Middle/Eastern history, ancient history, Babylonia, ancient civilizations, nonfiction
This book is a wonderful fountain of information regarding Babylonia, even if it was originally published in 1883 and revised in 1925. Obviously, this means some things in the book are outdated or have proven to be incorrect since it was originally published--one of the reasons I deducted a star. Likewise, it also means that the writing is difficult to understand at times. There were several passages I had to reread to make sure I was understanding them completely--another reason for the deducted star. It also felt a bit more like an overview, due to the shortness of the book and the number of things it covered, but I found as I read on I didn't really mind the 'overview' feeling of the writing.
Despite the above two complaints, I still think the book acts as a good guide to Ancient Babylonia. I enjoyed the topics covered in the book, and appreciated that Budge went over geography and history first before going into more detail about the religion, cities, laws, and people of Babylonia. Obviously, the entire book is about the history, but providing background information for people who aren't too familiar with the time or culture definitely helps with comprehension.
I was pleased with the number of plates included in the book as well. It's one thing to read a description of art or a map from the time period, and another thing entirely to actually see said art or map. It helped me to visualize the style of of art as well as the artifacts used during the time period, which I appreciated. One of the other things I really really liked about the book was how Budge included cuneiform in the text. There is a specific chapter dedicated to language and education, but the cuneiform can be found throughout the entire book alongside many of the people and place names Budge provides. I'm not 100% on how accurate his translations are (I do not know Sumerian in any sense), but I still enjoyed puzzling out common symbols and getting a light grasp on how the written language worked.
It should come as no surprise, then, when I say my favorite chapter was the Writing and Learning chapter. Budge spent time going back and showing how pictographs began changing to cuneiform as more tools became available, and how that early cuneiform was transformed into the later form of it via the same process. He provides examples of this process a couple times, pointing out how the details of certain pictographs were lost to early cuneiform while others stayed, and then how some of those details got accentuated and others lost as early cuneiform evolved into later forms of the writing. I think Budge provides the most visual evidence in this section, which helps the reader better understand what he's talking about in terms of 'detailing' and 'wedge.' My only disappointment with this chapter is that we don't get a table that translates the symbols to their phonology in a more comprehensive manner. We have the translations he provides, as well as descriptions and examples of how the numbering system worked, but we don't get anywhere near a comprehensive example of how the symbology and phonology connect (other than the obvious: one symbol for one sound).
Some of my other favorite chapters were the ones that dealt with the religion, myths, and legends that were present in Babylonia. I definitely think this is where Budge's expertise truly shines through, since there are multiple chapters on different aspects of the subject. Budge takes his time to explain several of the Babylonian myths and legends in detail, and he later goes back and references some of them. He also spends some time near the beginning of the book explaining the pantheon of gods--what gods there were, how they related, what they did, etc.--as well as how they evolved as the society evolved, and how some gods who were prominent during one period became less prominent during another, and vice versa.
I think Budge did and excellent job compiling and presenting his research on Ancient Babylonia in this book. He covers a wide range of topics, some in greater detail than others, in a relatively short span of pages. While it does feel a bit like an overview of Babylonia in general, and it can be a bit hard to understand at times, I definitely think it's worth the read if you're interested in the topic.
April 13, 2017
"The life of a man is cut off like a reed, and the man who is alive and well in the evening may be dead in the morning."
Really interesting glimpse into the life of Babylonians, from everything to their language and mythology, to marriage rituals, schooling, and language. I know a lot of information in here is probably sufficiently dated since this book is almost 100 years old, but as I'm not reading it with a research paper in mind and only general knowledge, it worked fine for me.
Dry at times (though with a history book that's to be almost expected) I especially loved the chapters on creation myths and the Babylonian pantheon. The Tiamet legend of creation reminds me of a serpent creation myth I read once, maybe Sumerian? And I loved all the stories about Ishtar, since I adored the manga Red River, Vol. 1. I could probably read an entire book on just the mythology.
Really interesting glimpse into the life of Babylonians, from everything to their language and mythology, to marriage rituals, schooling, and language. I know a lot of information in here is probably sufficiently dated since this book is almost 100 years old, but as I'm not reading it with a research paper in mind and only general knowledge, it worked fine for me.
Dry at times (though with a history book that's to be almost expected) I especially loved the chapters on creation myths and the Babylonian pantheon. The Tiamet legend of creation reminds me of a serpent creation myth I read once, maybe Sumerian? And I loved all the stories about Ishtar, since I adored the manga Red River, Vol. 1. I could probably read an entire book on just the mythology.
September 11, 2016
E.A. Wallis Budge never ceases to amaze me. Every time I think I have everything he ever wrote I think I find 3 new titles. He's so prolific and seems to be the end all be all on Ancient History. Found some tidbit of from the ancient world you'd like to investigate? - there's probably a Budge book for that. His prose is nothing special, and at times even a little boring, but I love reading his work and hope to read it all before I die.
Note for Homeschool Moms: This was my "grown-up reading time" during my 5 year old's ancient history year. It was neat teaching her the bare bones of the Babylonians and Assyrians out of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World and memorizing tidbits from the Classical Conversations curriculum, while getting a deeper dose for myself. I'll continue this effort of furthering my education while I begin hers as long as I can. If you don't have time for that, I understand completely; but if you do, this is a worthy book to select.
Note for Homeschool Moms: This was my "grown-up reading time" during my 5 year old's ancient history year. It was neat teaching her the bare bones of the Babylonians and Assyrians out of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World and memorizing tidbits from the Classical Conversations curriculum, while getting a deeper dose for myself. I'll continue this effort of furthering my education while I begin hers as long as I can. If you don't have time for that, I understand completely; but if you do, this is a worthy book to select.
October 2, 2011
Excellent and comprehensive look at the whole line of development in the area of Babylon and its neighbors. Sequential format gives you the full measure of cultural as well as political development. I was surprised that there were no overall maps as guides but I guess you could use a few online aids to fill in. There have been many new discoveries but the basics remain as presented here.
July 7, 2010
I found this book to be extremely informative regardless of how far out of date it is. Some information I'm sure has been updated over the years, but if you use this book as a platform from which to jump from, you will certainly be thankful for it.
June 2, 2011
Leave it to a British Victorian historian to utterly suck the life out of what I am sure was a fascinating and perplexing civilization. He writes like Joe Friday -- stick to the facts.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews