Etemenanki: name of the large temple tower in Babylon, also known as the Tower of Babel. Its Sumerian name E-temen-an-ki means "House of the foundation of heaven on earth".
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The Great Flood: mythological story about a great destruction that once befell the earth. There are several variants; the Biblical version is the most famous. The possibility that there is a historical event behind the story (a local flood in southern Babylonia in…
Harran (Akkadian Harrânu, "intersecting roads"; Latin Carrhae): ancient city in Mesopotamia, famous for a temple of the Moon god Sin and the defeat of the Roman general Crassus in 53 BCE ("battle of Carrhae").Early History
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Kingdom of Israel: the northern of the two Jewish states after the kingdom of Solomon was divided. Israel was a regional superpower, but unable to retain its independence in the face of Assyrian imperialism. The name "Israel" survived as the…
One of the last kings of Judah, Jehoiachin (r.598-597) was taken captive by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24.15; ABC 5) and lived in exile in the country of the conquerors. However, he was released, and a couple of cuneiform tablets…
Jericho (Tel es-Sultan): ancient settlement in the valley of the Jordan river.Jericho
Jericho, Skull from Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
Ancient settlement near a well;…
Machaerus (Greek: Μαχαιροῦς): Judaean fort on the east bank of the Dead Sea, best-known as the jail where John the Baptist was executed, modern Rujm al-Mišnaqa.
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