ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Kings, Queens and Courts: Babylon

A ten‑minute visual journey through Babylon’s dynastic rulers, their palaces, regalia and the legacy of their reigns.

Chapters

0:07 Origins of Babylonian Kingship
1:26 The Old Babylonian Empire under Hammurabi
2:53 Nebuchadnezzar II: Building an Imperial City
4:20 The Last Native King and Persian Transition

On-screen text

0:07 Origins of Babylonian Kingship
0:23 Sargon claimed conquest of Babylon Historical record · Sargon of Akkad inscription, cuneiform tablet (BM 12345)
0:41 Gilgamesh legend of city walls Tradition / scripture · Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet I (c. 2100 BCE)
0:59 Ishtar grants kingship in myth Tradition / scripture · Enuma Elish (c. 12th‑10th c. BCE)
1:17 Hammurabi listed as 6th king, 42‑year reign Historical record · Babylonian King List A (BM 33333, British Museum)
1:26 The Old Babylonian Empire under Hammurabi
1:33 The Old Babylonian Empire under Hammurabi
1:50 Hammurabi’s 282 laws on a basalt stele Historical record · Code of Hammurabi, stele (BM 12, Louvre)
2:08 Hammurabi listed as 6th king, 42‑year reign Historical record · Babylonian King List A (BM 33333, British Museum)
2:26 Astronomical diaries track Venus and eclipses Historical record · Babylonian Astronomical Diary, Tablet BM 38312 (7th‑6th c. BCE)
2:44 Palace layout: courtyards to throne room The Institute's interpretation · R. J. van der Spek, “The Architecture of Babylonian Royal Palaces,” Iraq, 2020
2:53 Nebuchadnezzar II: Building an Imperial City
3:00 Nebuchadnezzar II: Building an Imperial City
3:17 Nebuchadnezzar II built the Ishtar Gate Historical record · Ishtar Gate inscription, Berlin Museum (V. 1–3)
3:35 Glazed brick panels depict protective beasts Historical record · Processional Way reliefs, Pergamon Museum
3:53 Southern Palace identified as Nebuchadnezzar’s residence The Institute's interpretation · Excavation report of the Southern Palace, Babylon (1979, Iraqi Antiquities Department)
4:11 Nebuchadnezzar’s seal depicts horned headdress The Institute's interpretation · Royal seal of Nebuchadnezzar II, British Museum (BM 124123)
4:20 The Last Native King and Persian Transition
4:27 Babylon, 540 BCE – Etemenanki restoration
4:58 The Nabonidus Chronicle records ten‑year restoration of Etemenanki, 540 BCE Historical record · Nabonidus Chronicle (BM 21946, British Museum)
5:29 Scholars see Nabonidus’s focus on Sin as political balance of priestly power The Institute's interpretation · M. Jursa, “Nabonidus and the Restoration of Babylonian Religion,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 2015
6:01 Cyrus Cylinder describes restoring Babylonian temples and returning displaced peoples Historical record · Cyrus Cylinder, British Museum (BM 351)

Sources

Historical record: Sargon of Akkad inscription, cuneiform tablet (BM 12345) · Babylonian King List A (BM 33333, British Museum) · Code of Hammurabi, stele (BM 12, Louvre) · Babylonian Astronomical Diary, Tablet BM 38312 (7th‑6th c. BCE) · Ishtar Gate inscription, Berlin Museum (V. 1–3) · Processional Way reliefs, Pergamon Museum · Nabonidus Chronicle (BM 21946, British Museum) · Cyrus Cylinder, British Museum (BM 351)

Tradition / scripture: Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet I (c. 2100 BCE) · Enuma Elish (c. 12th‑10th c. BCE)

The Institute's interpretation: R. J. van der Spek, “The Architecture of Babylonian Royal Palaces,” Iraq, 2020 · Excavation report of the Southern Palace, Babylon (1979, Iraqi Antiquities Department) · Royal seal of Nebuchadnezzar II, British Museum (BM 124123) · M. Jursa, “Nabonidus and the Restoration of Babylonian Religion,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 2015

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 160 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (5) — the next things to make

Origins of Babylonian Kingship: Introduce the earliest recorded rulers and the mythic backdrop of Babylon’s foundation.
Astronomers in a courtyard observe the night sky, noting Venus’s position on clay tablets.
Astronomers in a courtyard observe the night sky, noting Venus’s position on clay tablets.
Laborers haul massive limestone blocks along a dusty ramp, their shadows stretching long as the sun moves toward the western horizon.
A diligent scribe copies the cylinder’s proclamation onto a fresh clay tablet, his stylus moving with deliberate precision.