Babylon at the Louvre: A Preview
European Exhibition About Ancient Near Eastern City and Its Legends
"Babylon" is a special exhibition that describes the history, culture and legends of the ancient East Eastern city and empire through 400 artifacts from 13 countries.
Babylon, the first-ever museum exhibition devoted solely to the ancient Near Eastern city, assembles some 400 works from 13 countries to describe its history, culture and myth. The show will be on view at Paris' Musée du Louvre (March 14-June 2, 2008) and Berlin's Pergamon Museum (June 26-October 5, 2008). Under the title Babylon: City of Wonder, a more focused presentation will be displayed at London's British Museum (November 13, 2008-March 15, 2009).
The objects in Babylon date from the end of the 2nd Millennium B.C. to the beginning of the 20th Century. Organized according to three themes, the exposition reconciles Babylon's legend with its actual history by examining the facts that gave rise to the city's symbolic traditions.
The Historical City
Babylonian artifacts and works of art are freshly interpreted based on their own merit instead of relying on Biblical, late classical and other distorted sources.
- The Reign of Hammurabi (early 18th Century B.C.) examines the rule of the famous sovereign and Babylon, his empire's religious and cultural center. The city's history is reconstructed through commemorative stelae (inscribed stone monuments), jewelry, royal offerings made at Babylon's temples, seals and statues made of stone, copper and clay. The Code of Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.), the stela carved with the most complete set of Babylonian laws, is the centerpiece of this part of the show.
- The Second Half of the Second Millennium B.C. describes Babylon's simultaneous political decline and cultural efflorescence throughout the ancient Near East. Mesopotamian thought's dissemination by Babylon's scribes and diplomats is explored.
- Babylon at the Height of Its Glory During the Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.) explains the restoration of the city's prominence following the Assyrian Empire's collapse. Decorative elements from Babylon's rich architecture, composed of colored glazed bricks, present the iconography of the culture's major deities: the lion of Ishtar, dragon of Marduk and bull of Adad.
- Loss of independence Under the Persian Empire examines Babylon's role as the repository of its culture following capture by Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C., during domination by Alexander the Great's successors after his conquest of the city in 330 B.C. and under Parthian rule during Roman times.
Babylon's Fame and Reputation
The myth of Babylon across centuries and peoples is analyzed in light of historical reality. Its civilization's contributions to history (dynastic lists), education (multilingual dictionaries), science (laws, weights and measures, astronomy), literature (the Flood theme), art, architecture and government are described. The Biblical tradition of Babylon as an accursed city of evil, home of the Tower of Babel and abode of the apocalyptic Whore is contrasted with its view by classical historians as the magnificent home of the fabled Hanging Gardens through medieval manuscripts, miniatures, drawings and paintings.
The Rediscovery of Babylon and Its Civilization
Although never lost in history, Western travelers rediscovered Babylon in the 16th Century. Objects from the site appeared in Europe during the next 200 years. Archaeological excavations and the decipherment of cuneiform tablets after 1850 displaced many of the myths associated with Babylon, the Biblical city of diabolical creatures and humanity's vices. Scenery from the film Intolerance (1916) by D.W. Griffith (1875-1948) and paintings that inspired the director's perception of the ancient Babylonians are included in the special exhibition.
Sources:
- André-Salvini, Béatrice (ed.), et al. Babylone (exh. cat.). Paris: Musée du Louvre Editions and Hazan, 2008.
- Harper, Prudence O., Joan Aruz, Françoise Tallon (ed.), et al. The Royal City of Susa. Ancient Near Eastern Treasures in the Louvre (exh. cat). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994.
- Oates, Joan. Babylon (rev. ed). New York: Thames & Hudson, 1986.
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