This is a good question and one which most of us could offer some vague answer to, but the Babylonians were an importnat and fascinating people who deserve further study. Unlike many books of the Babylonians this one is not written for specialists but for the general reader and student. It provides a general introduction to who the Babylonians were, where they lived, the extent of their influence and power, how this changed over time, and their role in ancient history and Biblical Studies. Bill Arnold reveals the geographical extent of Babylonia, looks at the city of Babylon itself, its thriving culture, religious beliefs, its innovative poeple and outlines how this city was transformed from a place of little note in the 3rd millennium BC to a thriving urban enclave, eventually captured by the Persians in the 6th century BC where upon it became part of a much larger empire.