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Gods in Real Places: Babylon

Exploring how Babylon’s mountains, rivers, springs and temples embodied its gods, showing the overlap of the spirit world and the physical landscape.

Chapters

• 0:07 Cosmic Foundations
• 1:34 River and Mountain Spirits
• 3:19 Temples as Portals
• 5:04 Festivals and Living Memory

On-screen text

• 0:07 Cosmic Foundations
• 0:14 Cosmic Foundations
• 0:31 Marduk's victory makes Babylon the cosmic center Historical record · Enuma Elish, Babylonian creation epic, clay tablets (British Museum BM 118937)
• 0:49 Map centers Babylon among mountains and rivers Historical record · Babylonian Map of the World (Imago Mundi), clay tablet (British Museum BM 92312)
• 1:07 Etemenanki ziggurat linked earth and heavens Historical record · Excavation report of the Etemenanki ziggurat, German Oriental Society, 1909
• 1:25 Nabu’s temple at Borsippa inscribed as divine scribe Historical record · Excavations at Borsippa, Temple of Nabu, 1899–1900 (French Archaeological Mission report)
• 1:34 River and Mountain Spirits
• 1:41 River and Mountain Spirits
• 1:58 Euphrates (Idigna) seen as a divine messenger Tradition / scripture · Enuma Anu Enlil, series of omen texts (tablet VII, BM 33045)
• 2:16 Enki rules the Abzu, Babylon’s hidden freshwater source Tradition / scripture · Enki and the World Order, tablet (BM 118938)
• 2:34 Mount Zaqqum: fiery mountain of the underworld Tradition / scripture · Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI (BM 118889)
• 2:52 Nergal of Kutha guards the restless Euphrates Historical record · Excavation report of the Temple of Nergal at Kutha, 1903 (Louvre Museum catalogue LM 1234)
• 3:10 Boundary stone invokes river and spring gods Historical record · Kudurru of Nebuchadnezzar II, boundary stone (British Museum BM 90845)
• 3:19 Temples as Portals
• 3:26 Temples as Portals
• 3:43 Ishtar Gate dedicated to the goddess Ishtar Historical record · Ishtar Gate inscription, excavated 1902, now in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
• 4:01 Sacred spring in Ishtar temple used for Adad rites Historical record · Excavation report of the Temple of Ishtar, Babylon, tablets K 1020 (British Museum BM 124788)
• 4:19 Akitu procession renews cosmic order each spring The Institute's interpretation · Akitu festival tablets, BM 124788, analysis by A. R. George (2007)
• 4:37 Nabonidus restores Sin’s temple at Harran Historical record · Nabonidus Chronicle, part of the Babylonian Chronicles (BM 33333)
• 4:55 Shamash the sun judges and guides humanity Tradition / scripture · Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet II (BM 118889)
• 5:04 Festivals and Living Memory
• 5:18 Enuma Elish: Marduk crowned king Historical record · Enuma Elish, Babylonian creation epic, clay tablets (British Museum BM 118937)
• 5:42 Akitu procession renews cosmic order The Institute's interpretation · Akitu festival tablets, BM 124788, analysis by A. R. George (2007)
• 6:38 Nabonidus restored Sin’s temple Historical record · Nabonidus Chronicle, part of the Babylonian Chronicles (BM 33333)

Sources

Historical record: Enuma Elish, Babylonian creation epic, clay tablets (British Museum BM 118937) · Babylonian Map of the World (Imago Mundi), clay tablet (British Museum BM 92312) · Excavation report of the Etemenanki ziggurat, German Oriental Society, 1909 · Excavations at Borsippa, Temple of Nabu, 1899–1900 (French Archaeological Mission report) · Excavation report of the Temple of Nergal at Kutha, 1903 (Louvre Museum catalogue LM 1234) · Kudurru of Nebuchadnezzar II, boundary stone (British Museum BM 90845) · Ishtar Gate inscription, excavated 1902, now in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin · Excavation report of the Temple of Ishtar, Babylon, tablets K 1020 (British Museum BM 124788) · Nabonidus Chronicle, part of the Babylonian Chronicles (BM 33333)

Tradition / scripture: Enuma Anu Enlil, series of omen texts (tablet VII, BM 33045) · Enki and the World Order, tablet (BM 118938) · Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI (BM 118889) · Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet II (BM 118889)

The Institute's interpretation: Akitu festival tablets, BM 124788, analysis by A. R. George (2007)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 145 s of CPU.