Home Region: Mesopotamia (Southwest Asia)

Kassite Babylonia

1595 BCE 1150 BCE

D G SC WF R

EQ 2020 iq_babylonia_2 / IqBabKs

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[elite migration; Sealand] [elite replacement] Update here

Succeeding Entity: Add one more here.

1153 BCE 1027 BCE Second Dynasty of Isin (iq_isin_dynasty2) [None]

Displayed:

Learn more about polity border choices. Map Modern Map only Opacity Year Play rate (y/s)
Hit enter after changing the year or setting the play rate.

General Description

The Kassites invaded Babylon from the north-west after the Hittites ended the First Empire. The Hittites did not establish their presence in Babylonia and, instead, the Kassites took the throne and ruled over Babylonia, although it was a smaller empire than the First Empire. ^[1] The Kassite Dynasty is notable for the unification of Sumer and Babylon to create the Empire. It was marked by large building projects, especially in old Sumerian cities such as Ur, Uruk and Eridu. ^[2] The Babylonian Empire was at this time secondary to the powerful surrounding states Egypt and Assyria. The Kassites had a reasonably good relationship with Egypt; there were several intermarriages and gifts were given and recieved. On the other side, they constantly fought with Assyria until the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I captured the Babylonian king, Kashtiliash IV and conquered Babylon. Assyrians ruled Babylon for seven years. Elam also started invading Babylonian territory in the latter Kassite Dynasty, eventually setting Kutir-Nahhunte on the throne in the north, leaving the Kassites surviving in power in the south. Not many years later Kuti-Nahhunte conquered the whole of Babylon, ended the rule of the Kassite Dynasty and took their god, Marduk, to Susa. ^[3]
The period was characterised by the overall population decline occurring across the Near East. Border towns and villages were abandoned and irrigation became less successful. Much of the administration was undertaken by or in the temples who effectively owned most of the land; however, another type of land ownership developed, which was the land gifted by the king to religious, military and administrative elites. The non-elites, on the other hand, suffered during this period, becoming markedly impoverished as they became unimportant in social government. ^[4]
In general, the Kassites made only limited changes to Babylonian culture, mostly assimilating into Babylonian society. As such, it can often be difficult to ascribe evidence to the Kassites specifically, as opposed to the ongoing Babylonian empire. ^[5]

[1]: Gill, A. 2008. Gateway of the Gods: The Rise and Fall of Babylon. London: Quercus. p.66

[2]: Stein, D. L. 1997. Kassites. In Meyers, E. (ed.) The Oxford Encylopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Volume 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.272

[3]: Liverani, M. 2014. The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. London: Routledge. p.364-366

[4]: Liverani, M. 2014. The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. London: Routledge. p.366-7

[5]: Gill, A. 2008. Gateway of the Gods: The Rise and Fall of Babylon. London: Quercus. p.68

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

2 Original Name

1 Capital

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

3 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

1 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

2 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

Religion

1 Religious Tradition

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Polity Territory

1 Polity Population

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

1 Judge

1 Formal Legal Code

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

Information / Writing System

1 Written Record

1 Script

1 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Non Phonetic Writing

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

1 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

1 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

Military use of Metals

Projectiles

1 Self Bow

1 Composite Bow

Handheld weapons

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

Armor

1 Scaled Armor

Naval technology

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases Coding in Progress.

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events

20 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2) was in:
(1595 BCE 1154 BCE)	Southern Mesopotamia

Home NGA: Southern Mesopotamia

General Variables

Identity and Location Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	38 S	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Original Name	Babylonian Empire	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Original Name	Kassite Dynasty	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Capital	Babylon	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Temporal Bounds Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1359 BCE ➜ 1333 BCE]
Loading...

Duration	[1595 BCE ➜ 1150 BCE]
Loading...

Political and Cultural Relations Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	ir_elam_6 alliance with iq_babylonia_2	1399 BCE 1200 BCE
Loading...

Suprapolity Relations	none	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Suprapolity Relations	vassalage to [---]	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Supracultural Entity	Mesopotamia	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Succeeding Entity	Middle Elamite Kingdom	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Scale of Supracultural Interaction	[500,000 to 600,000] km²	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Preceding Entity	elite migration; Sealand [elite replacement] Update here
Loading...

Succeeding Entity 1153 BCE 1027 BCE	Second Dynasty of Isin (iq_isin_dynasty2) [None]
Loading...

Degree of Centralization	confederated state	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Language Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Religion Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Religious Tradition	Mesopotamian Religions	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Polity Territory	[200,000 to 250,000] km²	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Polity Population	- Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Hierarchical Complexity Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	4	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Religious Level	[3 to 4]	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Administrative Level	3	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Professions Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Uncoded Undecided	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Professional Priesthood	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Professional Military Officer	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Bureaucracy Characteristics Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Merit Promotion	Absent Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Full Time Bureaucrat	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Examination System	Absent Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Law Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Judge	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Specialized Buildings: polity owned Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Irrigation System	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Drinking Water Supply System	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Transport Infrastructure Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Canal	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Bridge	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Special-purpose Sites Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Writing System Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Script	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Non Phonetic Writing	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Information / Kinds of Written Documents Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Sacred Text	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Religious Literature	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Practical Literature	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Philosophy	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Lists Tables and Classification	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

History	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Fiction	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Calendar	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Information / Money Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Precious Metal	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Paper Currency	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Indigenous Coin	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Foreign Coin	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Article	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Information / Postal System Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Information / Measurement System Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Stone Walls Non Mortared	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Stone Walls Mortared	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Settlements in a Defensive Position	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Modern Fortification	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moat	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Fortified Camp	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Earth Rampart	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Ditch	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Complex Fortification	Unknown Suspected	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Military use of Metals Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Projectiles Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Self Bow	Present Inferred	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Composite Bow	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Handheld weapons Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Sword	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Spear	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Dagger	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Battle Axe	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Animals used in warfare Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Armor Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scaled Armor	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Naval technology Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent	1595 BCE 1150 BCE
Loading...

Human Sacrifice Kassite Babylonia (iq_babylonia_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More