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Baal
God worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among Canaanites, for whom he was a fertility deity. In the mythology of Canaan, he was locked in combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility; depending on the outcome of their struggles, seven-year cycles of fertility or famine would ensue. Baal was also king of gods, having seized the kingship from the sea god, Yamm. Baal worship was popular in Egypt from the later New Kingdom to its end (1400-1075 BC). The Aramaeans used the Babylonian pronunciation Bel; Bel became the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus. The Old Testament often refers to a specific local Baal or multiple Baalim.


Babylon
Ancient ruined city on the Euphrates River, Iraq. It lay about 55 mi (89 km) south of Baghdad, near the modern city of Al Hillah. Babylon was one of the most famous cities in antiquity. Probably settled in the 3rd millennium BC, it came under the Amoritic kings around 2000 BC. It became the capital of Babylonia and was the chief commercial city of the Tigris-Euphrates valley. Destroyed by Sennacherib in 689 BC, it was later rebuilt. It attained its greatest glory as capital of the Neo-Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar II (605-538). Taken by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, it was where he died. Evidence of its topography comes from excavations, cuneiform texts, and descriptions by Herodotus. Most of the ruins are from the city built by Nebuchadnezzar. The largest city in the world at the time, it contained many temples, incl. the great temple of Marduk with its associated ziggurat, apparently the basis for the story of the Tower of Babel. The Hanging Gardens, a simulated hill of vegetation-clad terracing, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.


Baden
Former German state, S Germany. The name (meaning "baths") refers to the warm mineral springs, particularly in the town of Baden-Baden (pop., 1989: 51,000), valued since Roman times. Baden first became a political unit when Frederick, son of the margrave of Verona, took the title of Margrave of Baden in 1112. Subsequently split up many times, the territory was finally reunited under Margrave Charles Frederick in 1771. A center of 19th-cent. liberalism, it was active in the revolutions of 1848-50. It joined the German empire in 1871, and it became part of the Weimar Republic in 1919. The S part became a state of W. Germany in 1949, while the N part was incorporated into the W. German state of Wü rttemberg-Baden. Following a referendum, the two states merged to form Baden-Wü rttemberg in 1952.


badger
Any of eight species of stout-bodied carnivores (family Mustelidae) that possess an anal scent gland, powerful jaws, and large, heavy claws on their forefeet. Most species are brown, black, or gray, with markings on the face or body, and are found in SE Asia. Badgers dig to find food and to construct burrows and escape routes. The Amer. badger (Taxidea taxus), ...

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