Visiting Babylon
Summary
TLDRThe World Monuments Fund discusses the ancient site of Babylon, highlighting its historical significance and current state. Despite its humble appearance, Babylon's mud-brick structures and famous Ishtar Gate evoke its past grandeur. The site, once a bustling center of learning and arts, is now a tranquil location with modern settlements nearby. The Fund aims to preserve Babylon for future generations, balancing tourism with conservation and archaeological research.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ Babylon is an ancient site with a rich history, often mentioned in the Bible and known for the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
- 🌟 Despite its fame, the site is surprisingly humble in appearance, primarily constructed with mud-brick, which contrasts with the grandeur often associated with Babylon.
- 📜 The World Monuments Fund has been working on the site for seven years, focusing on preservation, site management, and creating a sustainable plan for future tourism and archaeological excavations.
- 🏞️ The site is situated along a beautiful bend of the Euphrates River, which was key to its desirability as a settlement in antiquity due to its fertile land and trade route location.
- 🏘️ Babylon has been continuously occupied for thousands of years, with modern communities living adjacent to the ancient ruins, showing the site's ongoing cultural significance.
- 🌐 Before the early 2000s invasion, Babylon was Iraq's most visited site, reflecting its importance to both historical and contemporary Iraqi society.
- 🔍 The site was first excavated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Robert Koldewey, with many artifacts now housed in museums worldwide, including the Ishtar Gate in Berlin.
- 🛠️ There have been concerns about the reconstruction and restoration efforts, particularly those undertaken by Saddam Hussein, which may not have been based on scientific archaeology.
- 🌿 The site is not a static museum but a living environment, with natural elements like birds and local produce adding to the visitor experience.
- 🌟 Babylon's preservation and future are in the hands of international cooperation, with the World Monuments Fund and the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage working together to ensure its historical integrity and accessibility.
Q & A
What is the significance of the ancient site of Babylon?
-Babylon is significant as it conjures up images of the ancient world, famous achievements, and notable people. It is historically known for the Tower of Babel, Hammurabi's Code of Laws, and the Hanging Gardens, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
What is the current state of the Babylon site?
-The Babylon site is described as humble-looking, primarily mud-brick construction with simple technologies. It features raised brick animal figures but lacks the grandeur that many might expect from its historical reputation.
How has Babylon been a center of learning and arts?
-During the Neo-Babylonian period, Babylon was a center for learning and the arts, with Nebuchadnezzar rebuilding the walls, constructing luxurious palaces, and making it an imperial capital.
What is the natural environment like around Babylon?
-The Babylon site is situated along a particularly beautiful bend of the Euphrates River, lined with palm trees. It can be very green and lush at certain times of the year, but also experiences sandstorms.
How has the World Monuments Fund been involved with Babylon?
-The World Monuments Fund has been working on the Babylon site for seven years, focusing on creating a site management plan, conducting condition surveys, and developing conservation plans to prepare for future tourism and archaeological excavations.
What was the impact of the early 2000's invasion on Babylon?
-Before the invasion in the early 2000's, Babylon was the most visited site in Iraq. The invasion likely disrupted tourism and possibly affected the preservation efforts of the site.
How has the local community interacted with the Babylon site?
-Despite the lack of international tourism, local Iraqis still visit the Babylon site for leisure activities like walking along the river or picnicking, indicating a continued cultural connection.
What are some of the challenges in preserving and restoring Babylon?
-Challenges include the political instability affecting the site's preservation, the need to balance tourism with site protection, and concerns about past restorations that may not have been scientifically driven.
What is the historical context of the Ishtar Gate and its excavation?
-The Ishtar Gate was excavated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Robert Koldewey, with many artifacts ending up in museums worldwide. The gate's predecessor still exists on the site, and it was part of a layered structure with multiple historical重建.
What was Saddam Hussein's role in the rebuilding of Babylon?
-Saddam Hussein undertook recent rebuilding efforts at Babylon, viewing himself as a successor to Nebuchadnezzar. However, these efforts have raised concerns about their scientific integrity and motivations.
How does the Babylon site reflect the broader trends in archaeological preservation?
-Babylon reflects the pendulum swing in archaeological site management, from heavy reconstruction for understanding to minimal intervention to preserve a pure state. The site's history shows periods of excavation, reconstruction, and restoration efforts influenced by both scientific and political factors.
Outlines
🏺 Babylon's Ancient Legacy and Modern Presence
The script introduces Babylon, an ancient site with historical significance from the Bible's Tower of Babel. Despite its legendary past, Babylon is described as a humble site with mud-brick structures. The World Monuments Fund has been working on the site for seven years, uncovering its history of famous figures like Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, and its cultural achievements like the Hanging Gardens. The site's location along the Euphrates River and its lush surroundings are highlighted, contrasting with the image of sandstorms. The script also discusses the site's continuous occupation and modern-day use by locals for leisure, reflecting its enduring importance. Efforts by the World Monuments Fund include creating a site management plan, conducting condition surveys, and developing conservation plans to prepare for future tourism and archaeological work.
🏛️ The Complex History of Babylon's Excavation and Restoration
This paragraph delves into the history of Babylon's excavation, which began in the late 19th century and continued through various periods, including significant work in the 1950s and 1960s. The 1970s and 1980s saw extensive reconstruction and restoration, which has raised concerns about the scientific integrity of the work, especially under Saddam Hussein's regime. The paragraph contrasts the site's appearance in the 1920s and 1930s with its uniform look in the 1980s, suggesting a shift in restoration philosophy. The discussion touches on the broader debate about archaeological site preservation, ranging from heavy reconstruction to preservation in a pure state. The script concludes with a hope for visitors to experience Babylon's grandeur and to appreciate the living connection between the ancient and modern worlds at the site.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Babylon
💡World Monuments Fund
💡Hammurabi
💡Nebuchadnezzar
💡Hanging Gardens of Babylon
💡Mud-brick
💡Euprates
💡Saddam Hussein
💡Archaeological conservation
💡Robert Koldewey
💡Ishtar Gate
Highlights
The ancient site of Babylon is a humble-looking site made of mud-brick, contrary to the grand images it conjures.
World Monuments Fund has been working on the Babylon site for seven years, learning about its history and significance.
Babylon was a center for learning and the arts, and home to one of the Seven Wonders, the Hanging Gardens.
The site is located along a beautiful bend of the Euphrates River, which was key to its desirability in antiquity.
Despite appearances, the site has been continuously occupied for thousands of years, with modern settlements nearby.
Before the early 2000s invasion, Babylon was the most visited site in Iraq, deeply loved by Iraqis.
The World Monuments Fund aims to make Babylon a sustainable site for tourism and future archaeological excavations.
The Fund works with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage to create a site management plan and conservation plans.
Many of the excavated artifacts from Babylon are now in museums worldwide, such as the Ishtar Gate in Berlin.
The monumentality of Babylon is evident in the scale of its walls, which are meters thick and 20 feet high.
Saddam Hussein undertook recent rebuilding efforts, viewing himself as a successor to Nebuchadnezzar.
There are concerns about the scientific integrity of restorations and rebuildings under Hussein's regime.
The pendulum of archaeological site preservation swings between heavy reconstruction and preservation in a pure state.
Babylon's history includes periods of excavation and reconstruction, with significant activity in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s-80s.
The site's current state is a mix of ancient ruins and modern life, with local communities and visitors coexisting.
The World Monuments Fund envisions a future where international tourism returns to Babylon, experiencing its grandeur and scale.
Visitors to Babylon can expect a dynamic experience, with the site's ancient history juxtaposed with the lively present.
Transcripts
(soft piano music)
- [Voiceover] I'm here in the offices
of the World Monuments Fund
and we're gonna talk about
the ancient site of Babylon.
That so many of us have heard of
from the Bible, we've heard of the story of the
Tower of Babel which may have come from
a ziggurat in ancient Babylon.
But what is it like to visit Babylon today?
- [Voiceover] It's great to talk about Babylon
'cause it's one of my favorite places.
We've learned a lot in the seven years that
World Monuments Fund has been working on the site.
Babylon conjures up these great images
of the ancient world, and many achievements,
and famous people.
But it actually is a very humble-looking site.
People are often shocked that it's mud-brick,
that it's simple construction technologies
and except for the raised brick animal figures
that are very famous,
the rest of it doesn't look the way we expect.
- [Voiceover] We read about Hammurabi
and his building campaign
and his Code of Laws, and then later,
during the period that we call Neo-Babylonia,
when Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the walls
and made luxurious palaces
and how it was this center for learning
and the arts.
And the site of one of the Seven Wonders
of the ancient world,
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
and an imperial capital.
- [Voiceover] I think it's beautiful in so many ways.
It's a long, particularly beautiful bend
of the Euprates, lined with palm trees
and certain times of the year,
very green and lush.
Other times of the year, sandstorms,
but I think that's what made it
a desirable settlement and antiquity
that you could grow things very easily
and it was clearly along a trade route.
- [Voiceover] And we know that the site
has been occupied for thousands of years.
People still live adjacent to the ruins today.
- [Voiceover] One of the great surprises
of the site is we think
that these sites are abandoned.
Because we look at the ruins
and we don't see people living right there,
but in fact, less than a 30 minute walk away
from the most famous parts of the site
are agricultural communities
and thriving modern settlements.
Before the invasion in the early 2000's,
this was the most visited site in all of Iraq.
And virtually every Iraqi, at some point,
during either his or her schooling
or in their adult life, came to Babylon.
And so it's a site that people really loved
and even today, where there is not
international tourism,
Iraqis still come to the site.
And a lot of them come just to take a walk
along the river or picnic.
So it's great to see people using the site
even amidst the chaos we have today.
- [Voiceover] Part of the work
of the World Monuments Fund
is to, when things settle down politically,
to make this a place that people can come visit.
And to make it a place that's sustainable
for tourism, while still protecting the site.
and making future archaeological excavations possible.
- [Voiceover] We were invited by the
Iraq State Board of Antiquities and Heritage
in 2007 to work with them
to do several things.
One was to create a site management plan.
One was to do condition surveys,
and the final element,
which is what we're doing today,
is to develop conservation plans
that we're implementing on site.
And very much with an idea
that international tourism
will return to Iraq before too long.
And one of the things we're working on right now
is developing tourism paths.
And in the meantime, we work very intensively
with a group of
State Board Antiquity employees at Babylon.
Archaeologists, engineers, architects, conservators,
and then our international experts
come and go as needed on the site.
- [Voiceover] So the site was excavated
in the early 20th century,
very late 19th century by Robert Koldewey.
Much of what he excavated,
ended up in museums around the world
including most famously,
the amazingly beautiful enormous Ishtar Gate
which is in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
But quite a bit still remains on the site.
- [Voiceover] There are dozens of buildings
that were excavated that are still
visible on the site.
And even the Ishtar Gate,
in fact, its predecessor is still there on the site.
So what was taken away to Berlin
was a top layer.
And then it turns out that there are
two more layers of the Gate.
So they just kept building on top.
So you were asking me about
what it's like to visit the site today
and I think one of the great surprises
is even though mud-brick
is a very humble material,
the monumentality of the site
is in the scale.
So you look at these walls
and they are meters and meters thick
and they are 20 feet high.
- [Voiceover] Talking a minute ago about
the rebuilding that happened
several times in antiquity,
but there's recent rebuilding by
Saddam Hussein who saw himself
as a heir to Nebchadnezzar,
the sixth century ruler of Babylon.
And then there have been restoration efforts
that have gone on in the 20th century
since the discovery of the location of Babylon.
- [Voiceover] Well I think Babylon has a
history like many sites in Europe and the Middle East.
It was excavated at the end of the 19th century,
spilling into the early 20th century.
Then because of World War I,
excavation activity stopped.
Then between the wars
it resumed a little bit again.
And then there was quite a bit
of activity in the 50's and 60's.
Then, in the 1970's and 80's was when
there were a lot of reconstructions
and a lot of restoration efforts on the site.
One of the things that you can see
if you look at before and after images,
so there's the palace, which we can see
what it looked like in the 1920's and 30's.
And then you see in the 1980's that
what were ragged footprints of buildings
have now all been made very uniform.
And so that's a little bit of a concern
to understand exactly
how the reconstruction was undertaken.
- [Voiceover] So some concern that
the restorations that happened
and the rebuilding that happened
under Hussein, were not undertaken
with the kind of scientific archaeology
that would be ideal in the 21st century.
- [Voiceover] It's not just Babylon
that suffers from this.
There's a taste that ebbs and flows
about how we look at archaeological sites.
So at one end of the pendulum is
very heavy reconstruction so that we
understand what we're looking at
and the other end of the pendulum is
do nothing and leave it in a pure state.
I think here we don't necessarily know enough
about how the decisions were made
and it does appear to have been made
more for political than scientific reasons.
- [Voiceover] To get a real sense of
that imperial city and it's scale
and what it meant in the ancient eras,
we'd have to go.
- [Voiceover] I hope that we all have that chance.
I think what will happen if you do get to go,
is not just that sense of grandeur and scale
about the ancient world,
but I think what you'll find fascinating
is the world we see today at Babylon.
That it's not a static museum experience.
It's the birds that fly overhead,
it's the dates we might find on the ground,
it's the honey we might buy from local residents,
and it's wandering around the site
and imagining both the ancient world
and maybe thinking about
where we're going to go and relax
later in the day sitting by the river,
enjoying a beautiful vista that I think people
have enjoyed for 5,000 years.
(upbeat piano music)
Посмотреть больше похожих видео
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)