The Ammonites , amoritas , love or sons of ammon correspond to one of the ancient civilizations that inhabited the region of Mesopotamia.
Semitic people, the Ammonites were warriors and known to be cruel and practiced acts of barbarism. The main city of this civilization was Raba Ammon (current capital of Jordan), hence the name of the people.
In addition to them, several Mesopotamian peoples inhabited the region:Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Hittites and Chaldeans.
Origin
The Ammonites probably migrated from the Arabian Desert around 2000 BC, settling in the city of Babylon.
History
Since arriving in Babylon, the Ammonites conquered several regions from the Persian Gulf to northern Assyria (present-day Jordan and Palestine).
Under King Hammurabi (1728-1686 BC) they dominated much of the region and founded the "First Babylonian Empire". The slave society was commanded by a leader and the positions were hereditary.
Gradually, Hammurabi managed to unify the entire conquered region by establishing what became known as the "Code of Hammurabi", a set of social and economic laws that included the punishment of citizens.
This strict code of conduct is based on the famous saying “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth ”, that according to the suit, the accused is deserving of a contiguous punishment.
The decline of this civilization took place with the invasion of other Mesopotamian peoples called Kasites and Hittites. The latter possessed several iron weapons and even horses.
Moabites
According to the Bible, both the Ammonites and Moabites are descendants of Lot. Both had an incestuous relationship with their father giving birth to children:Moab and Ben-Ami.
Learn more about the topic by reading the articles :
- Mesopotamian Civilization
- People of Mesopotamia
- Antiquity