看向世界SpotWorld: The land distribution system of ancient Babylon? How Babylon allocates land

As a very famous ancient civilization, Babylon has built many amazing buildings, and so far, scientists have been amazed, and they have gone to do observation and research. But what exactly is the land distribution system involved in so many buildings? How did the ancient Babylonians stipulate the ownership of this land? Here is a simple science popularization.

Around the time of "Hammurabi", land distribution systems can be divided into two categories:

Royal land

The first category: tribute

The concept of tribute also existed in ancient Babylon and many civilizations, and tribute was also a great way for royal countries to obtain resources such as money. Therefore, it is a privilege to be a tribute or taxpayer, but the royal family allows a portion of the land that the tribute/taxpayer can use as their territory. However, these lands do not really belong to the tribute, so it is not allowed to buy or sell the land or use it as collateral for inheritance and pass it on to children or other people.

The second category: court service

As a dynasty, it can be said that the resources needed are very large, so to produce more resources, especially food, of course, more land is needed. Therefore, some people were granted land and operated on the grounds of "serving" at the royal meeting, which can be used as fields, markets, and so on. After waiting for a mature harvest, the benefits born from these lands will be handed over to the royal family as tribute. There are many types of positions, such as soldier officials, Tamuka (commercial agent), and so on.

Private land

The first category: temple land

As a dynasty of ancient civilizations, they are very active in believing in elements such as stars. So a lot of lands is used to build temples, palaces, and other large buildings. And most of these buildings are related to the royal family or religious forces. Ancient Babylon also spent a lot of effort on building temples and other buildings, such as the very famous Tower of Babel and Tower of Babel.

The second category: urban land

The city is a very important area as a dynasty country, and at the same time, it occupies a very large area. According to the investigation of archaeologists, the ancient Babylonian city occupies an area of about one to two kilometers. Including a lot of mound stone buildings, such as Corrosa (castle), Ishtar Gate (city gate), and other buildings.

The third category: private land

Among all land types, private land can be said to account for the largest proportion of land types. In ancient Babylon, the lease of land can be said to be very common. According to the survey, land rent is generally calculated in proportion to the harvest. For example, one-third of the orchard and two-thirds of the vegetable garden are used for rent. This type of terrain is basically not controlled by the royal family, and can also be passed on to the next generation as a heritage.