The Babylonians

From ancient times right up to the present day, the name Babylon has often had a rather dubious reputation. The legendary Tower of Babel was a symbol of human arrogance, punished by God with the confusion of tongues, and for a long time the image of the Whore of Babylon was a cipher for immorality and depravity. But beyond the myths and prejudices, the historical Babylonians are actually one of the oldest advanced civilisations in human history. They developed written language at an early stage, and made impressive strides in the fields of astronomy, medicine and mathematics. King Hammurabi earned himself everlasting fame when, in the 18^th century B.C., he produced a standardised, canonical version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is considered one of the most important works in world literature to this day.