BABYLON: THE JEWEL OF THE PASTThe origins of anything speak of its future. The great works of time are notsimply there and always there, they had a beginning, and with most, a beginningworth telling. Babylon was the start from which modern writing flowed. Babylonbrought forth modern architecture. With its unique culture it created a unique artand literature, both of which are enthralling to read and to understand. Themediums of literature to be covered include The Epic of Gilgamesh by unknownauthor(s), Hammurabi’s Code by Hammurabi, and for the interesting road of art, TheHanging Gardens of Babylon designed by Nebuchadnezzar II. Each of these defining,but ancient, literatures and works of art make Babylonia’s society a uniquefoundation for the future.First is The Epic of Gilgamesh; told by some, but known by all. The Epic ofGilgamesh is a romance of the heart and mind. The main character: Gilgamesh (“Hewho has seen everything” (Maier, 12)) befriends a savage, named Enkidu, turnedtame by the love of a temple harlot. Together, and through their love, they becomebetter people, proving love is a motivating force. Love motivated the two brutishcharacters into tender, forgiving, helpful leaders. After the death of Gilgamesh’sfriend Enkidu, Gilgamesh decides that he must not die. Gilgamesh is motivated bythe loss of the love of his friend to make sure that he will not suffer the samefate as his companion. Love motivates in a way that a war of hate could notachieve.The exact author, or authors of The Epic of Gilgamesh is/are not known, butthe type of person who would tell the tales of yore is. The tale probably beganwith a teller of tales with a tale in his head with only one way out. Theraconteur was probably a nomad, wandering from city to city, spinning the talewith his travels. At the time of the telling, no great struggles were beingovercome, so no accounts of the time was slipped into the epic. As the tale turnedto myth, and the myth into habit, a talented writer enters the story to carve itall down. He writes the myth where it gets preserved and, as with wine, it onlygets better with age.Second is Hammurabi’s Code; a beginning to the justice system that rulesnow. Hammurabi’s Code was the credited for being the first set of laws to bewritten down obeyed; although it does have some striking similarities with thelaws of Moses. At the time there were three classes: upper, middle, and peasants.The punishments were supposed to be equal to the crime, as well as being separatedby class, with the most expensive punishments for the upper class, and the mostpainful for the lowest. The laws were laid down to keep crime down and to removethose who committed a crime.Hammurabi was a king of Babylon from about 1792B-1750BC. He was in campaignmost of the time. His relations with war left him wanting a better peace on thehome front. He wrote his codification of laws to keep a peace in Babylon, orperhaps he wrote it to show the gods he was a just and fair king, to his people.Away from his city, Hammurabi was a strategic, brutal fighter; he used hisinfantry to wipe out all opposing forces swiftly, and returning home with thespoils of afar, enriching the already magnificent city.Third is The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, an architectural masterpiece. Themagnificent structure was designed by King Nebuchadnezzar II to appease is wife,Amytis, from a mountainous Media; she had to move to the desert of Babylon and inreturn Nebuchadnezzar gave a living work of art. “PHILO-- The Hanging Gardens [isso called because it] has plants cultivating above ground level, and the roots ofthe trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather that in the earth. This is thetechnique of its construction. The whole mass is supported on stone columns, sothat the entire underlying space is occupied by carved column bases. The columnscarry beams set at very narrow intervals. The beams are palm trunks, for this typeof wood – unlike all others – does not rot and, when it is damp and subjected toheavy pressure, it curves upward. Moreover it does itself give nourishment to theroot branches and fibers, since it admits extraneous matter into its folds andcrevices.” (Clayton, 45) Water was provided from the river Euphrates and a simple