The Babylonians: Life in Ancient Babylon

The Babylonians are known for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but did you also know that the Babylonians studied the stars to predict the future? They also used reeds as drinking straws, and the city of Babylon was one of the world's first cities. Find out more about what life was like in ancient Babylon, which is located in modern-day Iraq. In this book, you'll learn about people's daily activities, religion, buildings, inventions, and leaders. Photographs and vivid comic-style illustrations help bring this culture to life!

The Babylonians are known for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but did you also know that the Babylonians studied the stars to predict the future? They also used reeds as drinking straws, and the city of Babylon was one of the world's first cities. Find out more about what life was like in ancient Babylon, which is located in modern-day Iraq. In this book, you'll learn about people's daily activities, religion, buildings, inventions, and leaders. Photographs and vivid comic-style illustrations help bring this culture to life!

Children's Literature

The ruins of the ancient city of Babylon are located in modern day Iraq. This area is part of a region called Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. Babylon is one of the world's oldest cities and Babylonian ideas are still observed in today's world. Our time remains divided into months, days, and hours. We have written records and observe constellations in the night sky named by the Babylonians. Even some of King Hammurabi's laws are still in effect. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon built by Nebuchadnezzar II were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Some ruins of the ancient city remain in modern Iraq, but other artifacts can be found in the British Museum in London and the Louvre in Paris. The book is divided into chapters covering "Life in Ancient Babylon," "Religion," "City of Mud and Clay," "Babylonian Ideas," "Famous Rulers," and "Present-Day Babylon." Also included are a "Timeline," "Pronunciation Guide," "Glossary," "Further Reading," and "Websites" sections, the last two which list sources for additional information. A comprehensive index provides navigation for topics in the book. The artist, Samuel Hiti, brings this ancient culture to life with photographs and vivid comic-style illustrations. This history about Babylon is part of the series "Life in Ancient Civilizations." Other titles include The Aztecs: Life in Tenochtitlan; The Chinese: Life in China's Golden Age; The Egyptians: Life in Ancient Egypt; The Greeks: Life in Ancient Greece; and The Romans: Life in Ancient Rome. Reviewer: Annie Laura Smith

Martha E. H. Rustad is the author of seventy nonfiction children's books, on topics ranging from snowflakes to whales to planets. She lives with her family in Brainerd, Minnesota. Samuel Hiti is an independent author and illustrator of comic books. His work includes the comic book series Tiempos Finales and Nickelodeon Magazine's comics adaptation of the film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Much of his work has been published by his own publishing company, La Luz Comics. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.