Nelly Favis Villafuerte   By Nelly Favis Villafuerte   (Part II)   Of all the kings that ruled the Babylonian, it is the name of Nebuchadnezzar that is remembered by many. For one, it was King Nebuchadnezzar who built the famous Hanging Garden of Babylon. Before King Nebuchadnezzar’s time, there was another famous Babylonian king. His name was Hammurabi, the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty reigning from 1792 BC to 1750 BC. Hammurabi is best remembered for having authored the so-called Law of Hammurabi. While this document was not the first Code of its kind during the ancient Babylonian Empire, it was the first law code that placed greater emphasis on the physical punishment of the perpetrator of the crime rather than compensating the victim. Moreover, the Code of Hammurabi was among the first law codes to introduce the “presumption of innocence” doctrine.   *** It is not just the Code of Hammurabi and the legendary Hanging Garden built by King Nebuchadnezzar for his wife that the empire Babylonia should be remembered though. The Babylonians were the ones who divided the day into 24 hours; the hours into 60 minutes; each minute into 60 seconds. This system of computing time has survived for 4,000 years. The Babylonians also came out with the cuneiform symbols which is the earliest writing. Also, the Sumerians, the earliest people of Babylonia developed sophisticated irrigation systems and other complex agricultural techniques that have improved our agricultural production. No wonder Mesopotamia is known as the Cradle of the Human Race.   *** Today, the glory of Babylonia is a thing of the past. Only the archaeological excavations in modern Iraq, then known as ancient Mesopotamia, will confirm that thousands of years ago, the ancient peoples who settled in the fertile plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (see Book of Genesis, Chapter 2, verses 10-14) – like the Sumerians, Akkadians, and later the Assyrians – had flourishing civilizations. Places like Babylon were built by the Akkadians around 2,225 B.C.. Babylonia, which was once the center of a dense population is now, for the most part, a desert of waste.   *** To Bible-believing Christians, it is not a coincidence that the ancient Mesopotamian capital of Babylon is 55 miles south of Baghdad, the city that began its story with a river in pre-Islamic times. Otherwise stated, Babylonia, one of the most important cities of the ancient world, was located in what is now southern Iraq. This fact does not seem important to many of us. Until Iraq came to the limelight. In the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, Babylonia was known as Shinar, Akkadia, and Sumer as well as the Land of the Chaldeans. Babylonia got its name from the city of Babylon.     *** Modern Iraq which is now at the epicenter of world attention was likewise the center of greatest powers in the ancient world. No wonder Iraq has hundreds of thousands of archeological sites. About 10,000 sites have been identified but only a few have been excavated. Meaning that many of Iraq’s ancient material past still remains buried. The war in Iraq some years ago caused the destruction of Babylon’s history. Simply because many of the treasured archeological sites and priceless artifacts that have been buried for thousands of years have been destroyed. As someone said: “War can destroy more than a people, an army, or a leader. Culture, tradition and history also lie in the firing line.” Stated in other words: These excavations which contain secrets of the life and civilization of the peoples will be gone.   *** By the way, we have already sent 100 copies of the book titled “Preparing for Eternity” by Mike Gendron that we had earlier promised to send to our readers. But there are still so many readers writing us from Mindanao requesting for a copy of the book. We shall be sending additional copies to them by next week. Preparing for Eternity is a book which challenges us to resolve the question: Should we trust God’s Word or religious traditions? Those interested in receiving a copy, kindly email your complete mailing address.   *** This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 LRV Building, Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.   Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected])