What Were Some Major Babylonian Achievements?
Major achievements of the Babylonian Empire include developing a code of laws, contributing to the world’s current time-keeping system and the use of advanced irrigation techniques. The Babylonians also built architectural wonders such as the Hanging Gardens and the Ishtar Gate.
King Hammurabi developed a code of laws and had them inscribed on a monument made of black stone. This makes him the earliest-known ruler to present his people with an organized body of laws.
The Babylonians used base 60 instead of another base to make calculations. No one knows why they chose 60, but it makes sense because 60 is divisible by 10, 12, 15, 20 and 30 as well as the first six counting numbers. The Babylonian numerical system is the reason a clock is divided the way it is, according to metrologist Michael Lombardi.
King Hammurabi was also the first ruler to implement water regulations. His rules covered the distribution of water and a farmer’s responsibility to maintain canals running through his property. Babylonians had to develop advanced irrigation systems to comply with these rules and to keep their crops growing. These advanced systems included basins, drains and irrigation dams.
King Nebuchadnezzar is credited with building the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for his wife. The story says his wife was homesick because she came from a green, mountainous area and found the flat terrain of Babylon somewhat depressing. The gardens consisted of vaulted terraces with plants hanging over the sides. This garden is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
