Babylonia

Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area in central-southern Mesopotamia, based on the city of Babylon. It emerged around 1894 BC as an Akkadian-populated but Amorite-ruled state. Babylonia was often in rivalry with Assyria and Elam. It briefly became a major regional power after Hammurabi created a short-lived empire, succeeding earlier empires. After Hammurabi's death, the empire rapidly fell apart, reverting to a small kingdom. The Babylonian state retained written Akkadian for official use and Sumerian for sacred texts, with earlier Akkadian and Sumerian traditions heavily influencing its culture. It was dissolved in 539 BCE.