Babylon was a gathering place of the nations. The Bible tells us that this is were the languages of the Earth were mixed, after people's pride got out-of-hand. So in effect, Babylon is were your nation started, no matter what your nationality is.

People groups

Berossus, a Chaldean historian, tells us that ancient Babylonia was home to a variety of groups. The three main groups were Sumerians, Semites, and Kassites.


Sumerians where the founders of the ancient Babylonian civilization. Sumerians founded its great cities and temples. They developed the pictorial system of writing of ancient Babylon. Names of people of ancient Babylonia had sumerian forms.


There were several groups of people beloging to the same Semitic family tree. Their languages differed slightly from each other. These people included:

  • Colonies of Amorites settling there to trade.
  • Wandering tribes of Semites, from Northern Arabia, pasturing their cattle in the banks of the Babylonian rivers.
  • A line of kings from Southern Arabia, who ruled the land for a period of time.


Kassites were mountaineers from the east of Elam. They conquered Babylonia and set up a dynasty of kings which ruled for several centuries.

At the age of Greek writers, they still lived in those mountains.

Their language was different from that of Semites. Only a few words from that language survived.

What they did for a living

First of all, Babylonian people had to feed themselves. So they were agriculturists. They were also irrigators and engineers, as they needed to regulate the supply of water. Babylonia, in fact, was were agriculture and engineering originated.

Since their land was adjacent to a sea and two rivers, they also traded with other lands. Through those waterways, they were able to trade with South Arabia, Egypt, and Western Asia. The seaport of Eridu was one of the earliest Babylonian cities.

While the rural population devoted themselves to agriculture, the cities grew wealth through trade.



Sayce, A. H. Babylonians and Assyrians; Life and Customs,. London: J.C. Nimmo, 1900. Print.

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