Old Babylonian period

The Old Babylonian period was a phase of Mesopotamian history in the early second millennium BCE, marked by competing kingdoms, expanding written scholarship, and the rise of Babylon.

Ur III period: A Mesopotamian state centered at Ur that ruled much of southern Mesopotamia in the late third millennium BCE. Its collapse around 2004 BCE preceded the political fragmentation of the Old Babylonian era.
Hammurabi: The sixth king of Babylon’s First Dynasty, who ruled from about 1792 to 1750 BCE. His conquests brought much of Mesopotamia under Babylonian rule.
Cuneiform: A writing system that uses wedge-shaped impressions on clay and other materials. Babylonian scribes used cuneiform for administration, law, literature, and scholarship.
Code of Hammurabi: A Babylonian royal law collection inscribed on a stele during Hammurabi’s reign. Its prologue, legal cases, and royal claims exemplify Babylonian kingship and jurisprudence.
Kassite dynasty: A dynasty of Kassite rulers that governed Babylonia for several centuries after the First Babylonian Dynasty. Kassite rule followed the political transition after Babylon’s Old Babylonian kingdom collapsed.
Isin-Larsa period: A phase of Mesopotamian history when Isin and Larsa competed for dominance in the south. Its rival city-states formed the political landscape Hammurabi later overcame.
Rim-Sin I: The king of Larsa who ruled for much of the early eighteenth century BCE. His long rivalry with Hammurabi ended with Larsa’s defeat.
Akkadian language: An East Semitic language written in cuneiform and used across ancient Mesopotamia. It was the principal language of Babylonian administration and many scholarly texts.
Epic of Gilgamesh: An ancient Mesopotamian epic about Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, and his search for lasting life. Old Babylonian tablets preserve an early version of the epic’s narrative.
Hittite Old Kingdom: The early phase of Hittite power in Anatolia, including the reign of Mursili I. Mursili I’s campaign against Babylon helped trigger the end of the period.

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