Tony Crisp Interpretation:
Babylonian civilization lasted from 1800 b.c. till 600 b.c. It was an urban society with twelve or so cities in the nation, resting upon the agricultural land surrounding the cities. The social structure was headed by the king as absolute monarch. Under him were a group of appointed governors and administrators. Beneath this were freemen and then slaves. The culture lasted for about 1,200 years. The psychological world ancient people’s lived in was one filled with spirits and demons, gods and goddesses, good and evil forces. This is understandable when we realize our forebears had no clear conception of how natural forces, illness, the mind, worked. The many intangibles they were surrounded by, the immense uncertainties they faced, were quite usefully called spirits— invisible, mysterious, yet potent powers that could act upon them for good or ill. Their beliefs and observations regarding dreams were therefore deeply colored by their worldview. Death was a certainty, illness—physical or mental—was a possibility, love and reproduction were drives to be satisfied, and so dreams or myths centered on the way these needs could be met.