The Babylonian World (Routledge Worlds)

Horses and chariots

Horses feature prominently in the Kassite texts (Balkan 1954 : 11 – 40 ). Horses and
chariots are among the royal gift-exchanges which were sent from Kassite Babylonia
to Egypt according to the Amarna tablets and this led to suggestions that these
commodities originated from Babylonia proper. It is now generally believed that they
were imported by the Babylonians from the east or north-east of Mesopotamia. In
spite of the references to the breeding and training of horses, Babylonia only acted
as middlemen and in fact formed only a gateway for these luxurious items (cf. Kuhrt
1995 ). Mesopotamia also served the Levantine region in a similar way, in that even
the Hittites imported their horses and chariots from Babylonia.

Glass

Glass became important during the middle of the second millennium BCand was
often used in imitation of lapis lazuli and other precious stones which probably
becoming scarce in the Ancient Near East. It is referred to in the cuneiform texts as
‘lapis lazuli from the kiln’, as opposed to ‘the lapis lazuli of the mountain’. In the
Egyptian texts a distinction is made between ‘stones of casting’ and ‘stone of the kind
that flows’ (Nicholson and Shaw 2000 : 195 ). It is believed that glassmaking was
introduced to the Egyptians by the Babylonians, but Oppenheim et al. ( 1970 ) thought
that glassmaking started in Syria (in the Levant).

Seals

The seals of the Kassite period seem to be quite peculiar and differ somewhat from
its preceding Old Babylonian period and the following Neo-Babylonian period (see
Collon in this volume). The materials used in the Kassite period are more exquisite
and luxurious, often made from lapis lazuli and carnelian and other imported hard
stone items (cf. Matthews 1990 , 1992 ). This leaves the impression of a flourishing
period. The layout of the seals is also different in that two-thirds of the surface of
the seals consist of inscription and one-third image. One might interpret this as an
effort for greater exactness since unwritten or symbolic images do not in themselves
reveal sufficient information about the seal’s owner. This could even be regarded as
a more scientific approach with an impetus from the literary tradition.

CONCLUSION

Babylonia and the Levant formed large separate gateways which consisted each of a
few hinterlands as support systems. The relations between these two entities during
the Kassite period should be understood within the larger cultural context of the
Ancient Near East due to the limited nature of direct sources. The Levantine region
was the melting pot of various ancient cultures over several millennia and had been
a tremendous impetus for several ancient cultures. It seems that the large Levantine
gateway and its hinterlands during the first part of the Kassite Babylonian period
were situated on the Middle Euphrates, in the vicinity of Carkemish, as mediators
to the east, west and the north. During the latter part of the Kassite period, harbours

— Babylonia and the Levant during the Kassite period —