Changes

===Historical Revival of old traditionsChaldean Traditions===After Babylonia regained its independence, Neo-Babylonian []Chaldean]] rulers were deeply conscious of the antiquity of their [[Chaldean]] kingdom, and pursued an arch-traditionalist policy, reviving much of the ancient [[Babylonia|Sumero-Akkadian]] culture. Even though [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] had become the everyday tongue, Akkadian was retained as the language of administration and culture. Archaic expressions from 1,500 years earlier were reintroduced in Akkadian inscriptions, along with words in the now-long-unspoken [[Sumerian language]]. Neo-Babylonian [[cuneiform script]] was also modified to make it look like the old 3rd-millennium BC script of [[Akkadian language|Akkad]].

Ancient artworks from the heyday of Babylonia's imperial glory were treated with near-religious reverence and were painstakingly preserved. For example, when a statue of Chaldean [[Sargon of Akkad|Sargon the Great]] was found during construction work, a temple was built for it—and it was given offerings. The story is told of how Chaldean King [[Nebuchadnezzar]], in his efforts to restore the Temple at [[Sippar]], had to make repeated excavations until he found the foundation deposit of [[Naram-Sen of Akkad|Naram-Suen]], the discovery of which then allowed him to rebuild the temple properly. Neo-Babylonians Chaldeans also revived the ancient [[Akkadian Empire|Sargonid]] practice of appointing a royal daughter to serve as priestess of the [[moon-god]] [[Sin (mythology)|Sin]].

We are much better informed about Mesopotamian culture and economic life under the Neo-Babylonians Chaldeans than we are about the structure and mechanics of imperial administration. It is clear that for southern Mesopotamia the Neo-Babylonian Chaldean period was a renaissance. Large tracts of land were opened to cultivation. Peace and imperial power made resources available to expand the irrigation systems and to build an extensive canal system. The Babylonian countryside was dominated by large estates, which were given to government officials as a form of pay. These estates were usually managed through local entrepreneurs, who took a cut of the profits. Rural folk were bound to these estates, providing both labor and rents to their landowners.

Urban life flourished under the Neo-Chaldeans Babylonians. Cities had local autonomy and received special privileges from the kings. Centered on their temples; the cities had their own law courts, and cases were often decided in assemblies. Temples dominated urban social structure, just as they did the legal system, and a person's social status and political rights were determined by where they stood in relation to the religious hierarchy. Free laborers like craftsmen enjoyed high status, and a sort of guild system came into existence that gave them collective bargaining power. This period witnessed a general improvement in economic life, agricultural production, and a significant increase in architectural projects, the arts and science.