Discovering Babylon

Rannfrid Thelle is Assistant Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and Religion at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, USA.

"Rannfrid Thelle tells the fascinating story of Babylon in the Western imagination and how images of that ancient city have interacted with the realities of history from antiquity to today. Full of engrossing detail, ranging from biblical accounts to the contemporary art of Michael Rakowitz, Thelle's story provides an important backdrop against which to reflect on the tragic events of modern Iraqi history---from the Babylon-obsessed dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the destruction wrought by the American-led invasion and the rampage of the Islamic State."- Aaron Tugendhaft, The University of Chicago, USA

• Preface; Chapter 1: Beginning Discovery; Chapter 2: Biblical Babylon; Chapter 3: European Visions of Babylon; Chapter 4: Ad fontes? Babylon of the Greeks; Chapter 5: The Discovery of Mesopotamia; Chapter 6: From the Sources of Babylon; Chapter 7: Babel and Bible; Chapter 8: Babylon’s Resurrection; Chapter 9: Back to the Future; Appendix 1. Ancient Texts Referred to in the Book; Appendix 2. Major Deities in Ancient Babylonian Religion; Appendix 3. Time Table; Appendix 4. Important Dates in the History of Babylon; Index