ABSTRACT
Babylonian history is embedded within a much longer sequence of Mesopotamian history. Modern scholarly chronologies differentiate a prehistorical period (from c. 6000-4000 BC), subdivided into epochs named after archaeologically significant locations, from a historical period (from 4000 BC to the beginning of the Christian era, or more commonly, the death of Alexander in 332 BC) which is defined by a succession of dynasties. Despite considerable problems in anchoring early dates to an ‘absolute’ chronological system, calibrating archaeological sequences with textual information and astronomical data such as eclipses, there is a generally utilised time scale which represents a form of compromise between the long chronology (now largely rejected) and the ‘short’ chronology still being hotly advocated by a number of historians. The resulting ‘middle chronology’ is the one adopted in those publications directed to a general readership.1
