Originally published July 8, 2026 (Episode 465)
Introduction
Even if you know nothing about the city, it is almost a certainty that you know its name: Babylon. It is perhaps one of the most evocative city names ever in the history of the planet—perhaps one of the most evocative names, full stop, not too far down the list from “heaven” and “hell.” From the prophet Isaiah to Lady Gaga, it has stood for decadence, corruption, indulgence, wealth, and evil.
But that is not the Babylon of history, argues my guest Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, the city that was at the center of the thriving, rich, and advanced civilization of Mesopotamia. For two thousand years, as dynasties came and went, it remained a center of religious life, art, literature, astronomy, and medicine. “The Babylonians in their own literature reckoned themselves to be the most blessed people in the world…and they thought of themselves as loved and guarded by the gods.” We still enjoy the benefits of their achievements.
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones holds the Chair of Ancient History at Cardiff University and has published widely on the ancient Near East. He was last on Historically Thinking to discuss The Persians, a conversation released on May 16, 2022. His latest book is Babylon: Biography of a Metropolis, and it is the subject of our conversation today.
About the Guest
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones is Chair of Ancient History at Cardiff University and one of Britain’s leading historians of the ancient Near East. His books include The Persians, Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, and Babylon: Biography of a Metropolis. His work explores the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Persia, and the wider ancient world through archaeology, literature, religion, and political history.
For Further Investigation
Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Babylon: Biography of a Metropolis (Pegasus, 2026)
Amanda H. Podany, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings (Oxford University Press, 2022)
The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Andrew George (Penguin, 2003)
Related Episodes
The Persian Version: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones on Persia, empire, and the age of the Great Kings
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: Amanda Podany on 3,000 years of the Ancient Near East
Love, War, and Diplomacy: Eric H. Cline on the Discovery of the Amarna Letters and the Bronze Age World They Revealed
Tags
Ancient History, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Ancient Near East, Assyria, Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, Archaeology, Cities, Civilization, History Podcast
