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Vaccine

2021-07-09T15:41:28Z

JohnEG:

[[Image:Vaccine.jpg|right|thumb|350px|[[Avian flu]] vaccine development]]
A '''vaccine''' is a pharmaceutical product containing an [[antigen]] designed to stimulate the production of antibodies against a particular disease or diseases.<ref>https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/explainer-what-vaccine</ref> There are numerous reasons why many people prefer to avoid taking vaccines, but laws and other rules (often pushed into place by those who stand to make significant profit) frequently mandate them. The Pfizer and Moderna [[COVID]] vaccines use an mRNA to trick the recipient's cells into generating a SARS-Cov-2 spike protein, in order to create incomplete immunity to the disease. This differs from how most traditional vaccines inject an inactivated virus itself.<ref>https://www.menshealth.com/health/a35589366/mrna-vs-traditional-vaccine/</ref>

Vaccine manufacturers themselves admit to numerous severe harms caused by their products, in their packaging information which parents rarely see.

==Mechanism==
If the body produces an antibody against a particular disease or toxin, it can identify the infection early on and the [[immune system]] can destroy it. Vaccines work by exposing the body to a form of the disease in such a way that it is much less likely to cause illness but still allows antibodies to develop. This confers a level of immunity to the person or animal vaccinated.<ref>http://www.howstuffworks.com/immune-system7.htm How stuff works: Antibodies</ref>

Since the adoption of mass vaccination programs, many diseases have been curbed. [[Smallpox]], a contagious disease that killed 30 percent of those it infected, has been entirely eliminated through vaccination, excepting some strains maintained in labs for research purposes. Vaccination programs of the 19th and 20th century were effective at curbing the disease, and in 1979 the World Health Organization declared smallpox to be eradicated.<ref>https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html</ref>

Another disease that has been eliminated from the US is [[Polio]], which killed over 3,000 people in the United States in 1952,<ref>https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1952_2.pdf</ref> and afflicted such noted persons as President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], actor Alan Alda, and musician Itzak Perlman. When doctors began using a vaccine to fight polio, it practically eradicated the disease in the developed world.<ref>https://www.cdc.gov/polio/progress/index.htm</ref>

The incidence of other diseases such as [[diphtheria]], [[pertussis]], and [[measles]], has decreased greatly from improvements in sanitation, increased awareness of the benefits of hand-washing and other preventive measures, and the invention of vaccines against these diseases.<ref>https://www.unicef.org/pon96/hevaccin.htm</ref>

While vaccines have been successful at preventing infectious disease, they have also resulted in controversy regarding their safety and effectiveness, legal and ethical issues surrounding mandatory vaccination, and whether children should be vaccinated against STDs<ref>https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/ethical-issues-and-vaccines</ref><ref>https://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/January-2018/are-vaccine-ingredients-safe.aspx</ref>

There are five major types of vaccines and they are differentiated by what type of antigen is used. Live attenuated vaccines are created from the actual disease in question, however before injection the [[pathogen]] is [[attenuated]] (weakened) by growing successive generations of the pathogen in poor nutrient conditions. Because they contain live pathogens, it is still possible for these vaccines to cause infection, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Inactivated vaccines are created from pathogens that have been killed, usually with [[formaldehyde]]. Toxoid vaccines are created by using toxins produced by the pathogen, these toxins are exposed to heat and/or chemicals such as formaldehyde to inactivate the toxins, but [[antibodies]] that are produced to these deactivated toxins will also protect against the real toxin. Subunit vaccines use pieces of the pathogen in the vaccine. These pieces often consist of unique protein segments that stimulate the production of antibodies. Finally, conjugate vaccines protect against bacteria that are encapsulated in polysaccharides (complex sugars), which disguise the bacteria, making it hard for the immune system to recognize them. Conjugate vaccines overcome this by attaching the sugar to a protein the does stimulate the immune system, thus triggering the immune system to react to the sugar in the future even if it is not accompanied by the protein.<ref>https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf</ref>

==Influenza Vaccine==
The flu vaccine is an example of modern vaccination. Due to the change in [[allele]] frequency over time in the population of the influenza virus, new influenza vaccines are created each year. In some years the vaccines are less effective than in other years. According to the CDC,<ref>"Inactivated Influenza Vaccine, What you need to know," a publication of the Center for Disease Control, 2006. Available online at: https://www.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/vis-flu.pdf</ref>
<blockquote>
Influenza viruses are always changing. Therefore, influenza vaccines are updated every year, and annual vaccination is recommended.
</blockquote>
Since the production of the vaccine must begin many months before the influenza season starts models of the population genetics of the virus must be produced.<ref>http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v5/n3/full/nrd1988.html Influenza vaccines</ref> The success of vaccinations programs is dependent on the accuracy of these predictions.<ref>http://www.nature.com/news/2003/030324/full/030324-5.html Flu changes modeled</ref> The National Institute of Health recently assigned $26 million to establish a research center to better develop molecular models of influenza.<ref>http://www.spiritindia.com/health-care-news-articles-8024.html $26 million NIH contract to establish new flu/bird flu Center of Excellence</ref>

==Problems==
Vaccination requirements are inserted into laws, often unjustifiably, by [[Big Pharma]] for profits and by governmental officials to increase their control. It is common for advocates of vaccination to receive undisclosed compensation from Big Pharma, either directly or through a spouse. This medial offering which was initially developed and released as something to benefit society has become a point of tension and even oppression to many individuals.

Many injuries from vaccination are admitted by the government, and severe potential side effects are disclosed on packaging labels that most parents never see. The sharp rise in [[autism]], which is generally considered incurable and afflicts 1 out of every 59 children, has a correlation with the increase in vaccination; the incidence of autism is greater in states where children receive more vaccines, such as [[New Jersey]] and [[North Carolina]].<ref>https://www.healthline.com/health/autism/autism-rates-by-state#2</ref> "The new estimate represents a 15% increase from two years prior and a 150% increase since 2000."<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/health/autism-prevalence-cdc/index.html</ref> ''See generally'' [[vaccines and autism]].

Traditionally a few highly tested vaccines were recommended for children to protect against deadly or severe diseases, such as [[smallpox]] and [[polio]]. Beginning in the 1990s, however, profit-driven vaccine manufacturers lobbied states and pediatrician organizations to compel numerous additional vaccines for sexually transmitted or less dangerous diseases. In addition, emotion based on inadequate information can cause over-vaccination.

15 US states have philosophical exemptions allowing parents to decline the vaccines; 45 states have religious exemptions; all states have medical exemptions,<ref>https://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements.aspx</ref><ref>http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/cc-exem.htm</ref> but they are hardest to obtain. Some parents choose to [[homeschooling|homeschool]] rather than submit their children to numerous vaccinations as required by state laws, due to lobbying by vaccine manufacturers, as a condition of being in school.

=== Adverse Reactions ===
{{See also|Vaccine Injury Compensation Program|Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System}}
Vaccines have substantial side effects, and many vaccines have significant morbidity and mortality associated with them. In the fiscal year 2017 alone, it is estimated that $220 million will be paid to victims of vaccines, and underpayments or improper denials of payment are common.<ref>http://www.wakingtimes.com/2017/05/09/whopping-vaccine-injury-payouts-us-fiscal-year-2017-released/</ref> More than Postvaccinial encephalitis is a known hazard of [[smallpox]] vaccine, for example. A recently introduced vaccine against human papilloma virus, the causative agent of cancer of the [[uterus|uterine]] cervix, has now been linked to a number of sudden deaths reported within days of its administration.<ref name=GardasilMM>Cockcroft, Lucy, "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/29/njab129.xml Cervical cancer drug Gardasil linked to deaths]," ''[[London]] Daily Telegraph'', October 29, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.</ref>

Bulging or swollen [[fontanelle]]s have been linked with many vaccines commonly given to infants, such as the diphtheria-[[tetanus]] (DPT) vaccine. Many families, out of concern for their child's health, have sought legal justice for the potential health damage.<ref>http://legaljustice4john.com/fontanellebulging.htm</ref>

Only live attenuated vaccines can still cause infection. All vaccines can cause illness, but this is commonly a hypersensitivity reaction (similar to an allergic response), not due to the disease itself. Very rarely a serious disease known as eczema vaccinatum can be caused by the smallpox vaccine. Vaccines that use pieces of pathogens often use a carrier virus in the injection. Those with very weak immune systems that are exposed to such a vaccine can become infected with the carrier virus and develop [[eczema]]. A recent case of this was reported in the United States after a military man was vaccinated with smallpox and his two-year-old son became ill.<ref>http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/183349/soldier_infects_toddler_son_with_lifethreatening.html AP article on eczema vaccinatum</ref>

A number of vaccination reactions are deemed serious enough to contraindicate further vaccinations of the same type. These include extensive swelling and redness at the injection site, prolonged fever, bronchospasm and laryngeal [[edema]] (narrowing of the airways causing difficulty in breathing), and collapse/seizures with or without unconsciousness and/or encephalitis.<ref>[http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=2067071044 General Practice Notebook - vaccine reactions]</ref>

===Published Adverse Reaction Rates===
Most medical journals and the CDC are heavily influenced by vaccine manufacturers, and hence their published information about side effects is one-sided. The packaging labels on vaccines are more candid.

This is what the CDC and medical journals claim:
*The Hepatitis B Vaccine (HBV) has a .000167% chance of causing [[anaphylaxis]] upon vaccination.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00046738.htm]</ref>
*There is no correlation between the HBV and multiple sclerosis.<ref>[http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Profs/PUarticles/vaccinenews.htm]</ref>
*The Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine has a 25% chance of causing [[arthralgia]] (joint pain) and a 10% chance of causing [[arthritis]]-like symptoms in women who are past puberty. This pain and stiffness begin 1–3 weeks after vaccination, persisting for 1 day to 3 weeks.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/combo-vaccines/mmr/faqs-mmr-hcp.htm]</ref>
*The MMR vaccine has a .00484% chance of causing [[thrombocytopenia]]. However, the measles and rubella both have much higher chances of causing thrombocytopenia.<ref>[http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/84/3/227 E Miller et al., Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and MMR vaccine in ''Archives of Disease In Childhood'', 84:227-229]</ref>

=== Common Misconceptions Surrounding Vaccines ===
Many people assume that official vaccine recommendations are based on recommendations of independent panels of experts after reviewing risk-benefit and cost-benefit analyses. They are not. The government panels are dominated by vaccine industry representatives and they have no consumer representatives.{{cn}}

Vaccines have injured many in the developing world, sometimes due to contamination in donated stale vaccines. The vaccine was banned for over a year in Nigeria after concerns about safety were raised. The ban has since been lifted, but the vaccination rate remains low.{{cn}}

==Herd immunity and mandatory vaccination==
When a certain percentage of a population is vaccinated, those within the population who are not vaccinated are protected from the disease, this is called [[herd immunity]]. If 90 percent of a population is immune, then the chances that a carrier of the disease will come into contact with a non-immune member of the population (or "herd") is low.<ref>http://www.mathepi.com/maindir/herd.html The mathematics of herd immunity</ref> Herd immunity is the goal of most vaccination programs as it is the point where disease can start to be eliminated from a population altogether.

For example, in 1962 Japan instituted mandatory vaccination against influenza in school children. This continued until 1987 when the program was changed to optional; it was abandoned in 1994. Approximately 85 percent of children were estimated to have been vaccinated.<ref>{{hnb|Glezen|2004}}</ref> Several studies examined the mortality rates due to influenza during this period of time and revealed that the death rates due to influenza in all population groups were drastically decreased, including older adult populations. Since there was no increased rate of vaccination in these populations, the decreased mortality was caused by herd immunity effects of vaccinating so many children.<ref>http://www.newsrx.com/newsletters/Vaccine-Weekly/2001-04-11/200104113335VW.html Mandatory Vaccination of Japanese Schoolchildren Demonstrates "Herd Immunity"</ref> Many researchers have written that this and other evidence argues strongly for mandatory vaccination programs worldwide as a means of controlling many diseases and preventing a [[pandemic]].<ref>http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1360502 Herd Immunity</ref>

The USA has federal vaccination recommendations according to an official CDC schedule. Requirements are up to the states. Most states have medical and religious exemptions. Some states make it very easy to opt-out of vaccines, while other states strictly enforce compliance for school attendance. The difference in vaccination rates between these states is actually very slight, and usually not nearly enough to affect herd immunity.{{cn}}

As of February 2008, the CDC noted that "fewer than 100 measles cases are now reported annually in the United States and virtually all of those are linked to imported cases" in which someone is infected during overseas travel. The USA maintains herd immunity for measles, even in states where it is easy to opt-out of vaccination requirements.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5708a3.htm]</ref> Measles can be serious; according to an article in The Times, "About one in every 15 children has complications that can include [[meningitis]], [[pneumonia]], [[fits]], [[encephalitis]] (swelling of the brain), [[blindness]] and [[brain damage]]."<ref>The Sunday Times, ''How the MMR scare led to the return of measles'', February 8, 2009 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5683687.ece]</ref> In the England and Wales, there were 1,348 cases of measles in 2008; two children died of the disease.<ref>The Sunday Times, ''MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism'', by Brian Deer, February 8, 2009 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5683671.ece]</ref>

The CDC notes that when a measles outbreak occurs, the cost to taxpayers can be substantial. Public health responsibilities include "identification of cases, isolation of patients and vaccination, administration of [[immune globulin]], and voluntary quarantine of contacts who have no evidence of measles immunity...In Iowa, the public health response to one imported measles case cost approximately $150,000."<ref>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, ''Outbreak of Measles --- San Diego, California, January--February 2008'', February 29, 2008 [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5708a3.htm]</ref>

Other diseases besides the measles have also started not only to reappear but also to kill children. Hib (''[[Haemophilus influenzae]]'' type B) meningitis recently killed an infant in Minnesota. The child who died had not been vaccinated. Two others who had been either partially, but not fully, vaccinated, or who had an immune deficiency became seriously ill. The vaccine for Hib is less than twenty years old, but this is the first death due to the disease in the state of Minnesota since the vaccine was introduced.<ref>[http://fumacrom.com/1E28K Hib Outbreak Kills Unvaccinated Child]</ref>

===Herd Immunity in Britain===
Due to a decrease in vaccination, measles has become endemic in Britain. This means that measles does not need to be brought in by travelers, but instead has a large enough base of non-immune individuals for it to continuously spread inside the country. In London, only 71 percent of children receive the first dose of the vaccine and only 51 percent receive the second dose. Due to this decline, there were 461 measles cases in Britain in the first half of 2008. These cases have had tragic consequences, with the death of a 17-year-old reported in 2008.<ref>[http://fumacrom.com/1E2CC Health Direct NHS watch blog]</ref> This immunization failure is due to parents opting out of the MMR vaccine program in the wake of the false claims that the MMR vaccine causes autism.<ref>https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/no-doubt-the-mmr-vaccine-does-not-cause-autism-zpxk37ntzmh</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
== Sources ==
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Balbier
| Given = Thomas E., Jr.
| Year = 1999
| Date = 1999-09-28
| Title = Statement on National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program by Thomas E. Balbier, Jr.
| Publisher = United States Government
| URL = http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t990928b.html
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Glezen
| Given = W. Paul
| Year = 2004
| Title = Control of Influenza
| volume = 31(1)
| pages = 39-41
| Publisher = Texas Heart Institute Journal
| URL = http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=387431
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Pear
| Given = Robert
| Year = 2008
| Date = 2008-01-21
| Title = Threats and Responses: Leagal Risks; For Victims of Vaccine, Winning Case Will Be Hard
| Publisher = [[The New York Times]]
| URL = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DC1E3AF937A25751C1A9649C8B63
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = United States Department of Justice
| Given = USDOJ
| Year = 2000
| Date = 2000-11-27
| Title = About the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
| Publisher = United States Government
| URL = http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/torts/const/vicp/about.htm
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = United States Department of Health and Human Services
| Given = HRSA
| Year = 2008
| Title = Filing a Claim with the VICP
| Publisher = United States Government
| URL = http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/filing_claim.htm
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = United States Department of Health and Human Services
| Given = HRSA
| Year = 2007
| Date = 2007-04-20
| Title = National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) About VICP
| Publisher = United States Government
| URL = http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/
}} retrieved on 2008-01-21



== See also ==
*[[HPV vaccine]]
*[[Vaccine Injury Compensation Program]]
*[[Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System]]
*[[Acellular vaccine]]
*[[Vaccine FAQ]]

==External links==
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E21w National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)], a non-profit anti-vaccination organization
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E22r Compare the Risks], A PDF detailing the risks between vaccination and non-vaccination
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E24H Stop Jenny McCarthy], A site devoted to fighting vaccine misinformation, contains many vaccine-related resources.

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Medicine]]

Tower of Babel

2021-07-09T15:32:20Z

JohnEG:

[[Image:Brueghel-tower-of-babel.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''The Tower of Babel'' by [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder]], 1563.]]
The '''Tower of Babel''' (Hebrew: מגדּל, ''mighdōl'') was the structure built by the descendants of the [[Great Flood|Flood]] survivors according to [[Genesis]] 11, "whose top may reach unto heaven."

==Biblical account==
The Tower of Babel is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the first great rebellion by mankind after the Flood; instead of spreading across the earth, they settled together in the land of Shinar and built a city and a great tower out of baked bricks in order to make a name for themselves:<ref>http://creationwiki.org/Tower_of_Babel</ref>
:''And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.''
:''And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.''
:''And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and bitumen had they for mortar.''
:''And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.''
:''And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.''
:''And the LORD said, Behold, the people are one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.''
:''Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.''
:''So the LORD scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city.''
:''Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confuse the language of all the earth: and from there did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9, King James Version)''

==The Meaning of “Babel”==
The Tower was built in Babylon, on account of the confusion of languages. The word is based purely on the Hebrew etymological law, which makes ''bālal'', “to confuse,” or “mingle,” assume a reduplicate form; but as far as the numerous cuneiform inscriptions are concerned, ''balālu'', “to mingle” (the root in question), was an impossibility. On the Babylonian side the rendering of the name ''Bâb-îli'' (''-îlāni''), “gate of god” (or “of the gods”) was a folk-etymology, sharing the same meaning as the Sumero-Akkadian form ''Ka-dingira''. It is noteworthy, however, that one of the forms used by [[Nebuchadrezzar]] is ''Babilam'', with the mimmation or “emming,” which is a characteristic of the Babylonian language; moreover, a place-name ''Babalam'' also occurs, which may be a still earlier, and possibly the original, form. Notwithstanding that one would like to see in ''Babalam'', “the place of bringing together,” and in ''Babilam'', “the bringer together,” the termination ''-am'' would seem to be an insurmountable difficulty.

==General Form of Babylonian Temple-Towers==
[[Image:ZigguratUrreconstr.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Fanciful reconstruction of the ziggurat at Ur, based on archaeological evidence around 1900.]]
There was a great difference, however, between the ''mighdōl'' or watchtower, and the great Tower at [[Babylon]]. The watchtower was simply a high structure, probably without any special shape or form, which depended upon the will of the architect and the nature of the ground upon which it was erected. The Tower of Babel or Babylon was a structure peculiar to Babylonia and [[Assyria]]. According to ancient accounts as well as judging from the ruins of the various remains extant in those countries, Babylonian temple towers were square or rectangular in shape; they were built upward in stages, and provided with a stairway along each side to the top. These structures were finished with a small temple at its peak for religious ceremonies.

These buildings were called by the Babylonians ''ziqqurātu'' (Modern English: "ziggurat"), apparently meaning “peak,” or the highest point of a mountain; this word being applied to the mountain-height upon which Ut-napishtim, the Babylonian Noah of the Gilgamesh saga, offered sacrifices on coming forth from the ark (or ship) when the waters of the great Flood had sufficiently subsided. It has also been conjectured that they were used as observatories when the Babylonians studied the starry heavens. This is probable, but as the ziggurats were of no great height, it is possible that in the clear atmosphere of the Babylonian plains there was no real necessity to go above the surface of the earth when making their observations.

==Location==
[[Image:Fotobabiloniaa.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Archaeological reconstruction of the ziggurat ''Etemenanki'' at Babylon.]]
There has been much difference of opinion as to the geographical position of the Tower of Babel. Most writers upon the subject, following the tradition handed down by the Jews and Arabs, have identified it with the great Temple of Nebo in the city of [[Borsippa]], now called the ''Birs-Nimroud'' (explained as a corruption of ''Birj Nimroud'', “Tower of Nimrod”). Although an important religious structure to the Babylonians, it was never regarded by them as the actual tower. The great tower they referred to was located within Babylon and called ''Ê-temen-ana-ki'', “the Temple of the foundation of heaven and earth,” called by [[Nabopolassar]] and Nebuchadrezzar ''ziqqurat Bâbîli'', “the Tower of Babylon” - the world-renowned temple dedicated to Merodach and his consort Zēr-panîtum, Babylon's chief deities.

===Its Position at Babylon===
This structure was situated in the southern portion of the city, not far from the right bank of the Euphrates, and is now represented by a depression within which is the original rectangular core of unbaked brick. From its shape the Arabs have called this site Sahan, “the dish,” as the bricks of the structure (unlike other ziggurats which were built of dried mud-brick, Etemenanki was built of fired brick) were stripped in favor of other structures or to repair the banks of the Hindiyeh canal.

===Babylonian Description of the Tower===
Etemenanki consisted of six stages built upon a platform, and provided with a sanctuary at the top. A tablet seemingly giving a detailed description of this building was for a time in the hands of archaeologist George Smith in 1876; however he had not time to give a translation of the document or to publish the text, but his detailed account of it (''Athenaeum'', February 12, 1876) is exceedingly interesting.

First there was the outer court called the “grand court,” measuring, according to Smith's estimate, 1,156 ft. by 900 ft., and a smaller one, called “the court of Ishtar and Zagaga,” 1,056 ft. by 450 ft. Round the court were six gates admitting to the temples: (1) The grand gate; (2) The gate of the rising sun (east); (3) The great gate; (4) The gate of the colossi; (5) The gate of the canal; and (6) The gate of the tower-view.

====Platform====
After this came a space or platform apparently walled - a ''ki-gallu'' square in form, and measuring 3 ku each way. Its size is doubtful, as the value of the ku is unknown. The sides of this enclosure faced the cardinal points. In its walls were four gates, one on each side, and named from the points toward which they looked. Within this enclosure stood a large building measuring 10 ''gar'' (according to Smith, a ''gar'' is 20 feet; 10 ''gar'' = 200 ft.) each way. Unfortunately, the name of this structure was damaged, so that its nature and use are uncertain.

====Chapels and Shrines====
Round the base of the Tower were small temples or chapels dedicated to the various gods of the Babylonians. On the East were 16 shrines, the principal of them being dedicated to Nebo and Tašmêtu, his spouse; on the North were two temples dedicated to Êa. (Aê) and Nusku respectively; on the South was a single temple to the two great gods, Anu and Bel (Enlil?). It was on the West, however, that the principal buildings lay - a double house with a court between the wings 35 cubits (Smith: 58 ft.) wide. These two wings were not alike in dimensions, the structure on one side being 100 cubits by 20 (166 ft. by 34 ft.) and on the other 100 cubits by 65 (166 ft. by 108 ft.). In these western chambers stood the couch of the god, and the golden throne mentioned by [[Herodotus]], with other objects of great value. The couch was stated to have measured 9 cubits by 4 (15 ft. by 6 feet 8 inches).

====The First Stage====
In the center of these groups of buildings stood the great Tower in stages, called by the Babylonians “the Tower of Babel” (''ziqqurat Bâbîli''). The stages decreased from the lowest upward, but each was square in plan. The first or foundation-stage was 15 gar each way by 5 1/2 gar high (300 ft. by 110 ft. high), and seems to have been decorated with the usual double recesses which are a characteristic of Assyr-Bab architecture.

====The Remaining Stages====
The second stage was 13 gar square and 3 gar high (260 ft. by 60 ft.). A term was applied to it which Smith did not understand, but he notes that it probably had sloping sides. The stages from the 3rd to the 5th were all of equal height, namely, 1 gar (20 ft.), and were respectively 10 gar (200 ft.), 8 1/3 gar (170 ft.) and 7 gar (140 ft.) square. The dimensions of the 6th stage were omitted, but may be restored in accordance with the others, namely, 5 1/2 gar square (110 ft.) by 1 gar (20 ft.) high.

====The Chapel at the Top====
On this was raised the 7th stage or the upper temple or sanctuary of the god Bel-Merodach, 4 gar long, 3 1/2 gar broad and 2 1/2 gar high (80 ft., 60 ft., and 50 ft., respectively). Smith did not mention the statue of the god, but it was conjectured that the chapel did contain one. The total height of the tower from foundation to chapel was 15 gar (300 ft.), the same as the breadth of its base. It cannot be said that it was by any means a beautiful building, but there was probably some symbolism in its measurements, and in appearance it probably resembled (except the decoration) the temple tower of Calah as restored in the frontispiece to Layard's Monuments of [[Nineveh]], 1st series, in which a step-pyramid with a similarly highbasement stage is shown.

===Herodotus' Description===
The description of the tower as given by [[Herodotus]] agrees. He states that it was a temple square in form, two furlongs (1, 213 ft.) each way, in the midst of which was built a solid tower a furlong square (nearly 607 ft.). This, however, must have been the platform, which, with the six stages and the chapel on the top, would make up the total of eight stages of which Herodotus speaks. The ascent by which the top was reached he describes as running “outside round about all the towers” - wording which suggests, although not necessarily, that it was spiral in design - i.e. one had to walk round the structure 7 times to reach the top. Representations on Babylonian boundary-stones suggest that this view would be correct, though a symmetrical arrangement of inclined paths might have been constructed which would have greatly improved the design. At the middle of the ascent, Herodotus says, there was a stopping-place with seats to rest upon, which rather favors this idea. At the top of the last tower there was a large cell, and in the cell a large couch was laid, well covered; and by it a golden table. There was no image there, nor did any human being spend the night there, except only a woman of the natives of the place chosen by the god, “as say the Chaldeans who are the priests of this god.” These men told Herodotus that the god often came to the cell, and rested upon the couch, “but,” he adds, “I do not believe them.” After mentioning parallels to this at Egyptian Thebes and Patam in Lycia, he goes on to speak of another cell below (that referred to in G. Smith's tablet) wherein was a great image of Zeus (Bel-Merodach) sitting, with a footstool and a large table, all of gold, and weighing no less than 800 talents. Outside of this cell was an altar to the god, made of gold; and also another altar, whereon full-grown animals were sacrificed, the golden altar being for sucklings only. The Chaldeans also told him that there was, in the precincts of the building, a statue 12 cubits high, and of solid gold. Darius Hystaspis desired to take possession of this valuable object, but did not venture. His son Xerxes, however, was not so considerate of the feelings of the people and the priesthood, for he also killed the priest when he forbade him to meddle with it.

==The Builders of the Tower==
[[Image:Etemenanki.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Remains of Etemenanki today.]]
The Bible record does not state who the people were who journeyed in the East and built the city and the Tower. The indefinite “they” might be taken to mean whatever people were there at the time the record was written, and probably presupposes that the reader would certainly know. As the Tower of Babel bears, in the native inscriptions, a Sumero-Akkadian name, it may be supposed that the builders referred to belonged to that race.

===Traditions Concerning Its Destruction===
It is noteworthy that nothing is said in Genesis concerning the stopping of work on the tower, though they ceased to build the city. A Jewish tradition tells of the tower to have been split through to its foundation by fire which fell from heaven - suggested probably by the condition of the tower at “the second Babylon,” i.e. the ''Birs Nimroud''. Another tradition, recorded by [[Eusebius]] (Prep. Evang., ix; Chronicon, 13; Syncel. Chron., 44) makes it to have been blown down by the winds; “but when it approached the heavens, the winds assisted the gods, and overturned the work upon its contrivers: and the gods introduced a diversity of tongues among men, who, until that time, had all spoken the same language.”

==The Ultimate Destruction of the Tower==
That the building of the city would have been stopped when the confusion of tongues took place is natural - the departure of the greater part of the inhabitants made this inevitable. When the population increased again, the building of the city was continued, with the result that Babylon ultimately became the greatest city of then known world. The Tower remained on the site unfinished until the completion of the city; when its condition became ruinous several times, some energetic Babylonian king would restore it. Alexander the Great began clearing away the rubbish to rebuild the great temple of “bclus” (Bel-Merodach) connected with it and there is hardly any doubt that the Tower would have been restored likewise, but the untimely death of Alexander and the deficient mental caliber of his successors put an end to the work. The Tower therefore remained unrepaired - “The tower was exceedingly tall. The third part of it sank down into the ground, a second third was burned down, and the remaining third was standing until the time of the destruction of Babylon” (Rabbi Yēhānān, Sanhedhrīn, 109, 1).

==Other Non-Biblical references==

The Tower of Babel is mentioned in a number of other [[Apocrypha]]l and [[Pseudepigrapha|Pseudepigraphical]] texts, notably the [[Ethiopia]]n [[Book of Jubilees]], and also in [[Rabbinic literature]]. A similar tale appears in the [[Koran]], and a number of other cultures have similar stories.<ref name="christiananswers">http://www.christiananswers.net/q-abr/confusionoflanguages.html</ref>

== Brick and Stone significance ==

Several authors have interpreted the repeated use of brick and stone as a metaphor for the evils of socialism<ref>[http://fumacrom.com/1E1Xr Europe Versus God]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BkX2BgAAQBAJ&pg=PT62 Was Jesus a Socialist or a Capitalist?]</ref><ref>[https://rabbidaniellapin.com/is-the-word-bricks-a-code-word-in-the-bible/ Is the word ‘bricks’ a code word in the Bible?]</ref> and thus, the story of the Tower of Babel also serves as a warning against collectivism. In centralized planned economies, everybody is to be treated exactly the same, which makes everybody into bricks instead of being unique stones and having an individual place in God's plan.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin argues that [[Nimrod]] was the first socialist and attempted to set up the first socialist utopia.<ref>[http://fumacrom.com/1E1bQ Rabbi Daniel Lapin: The Moral Goodness of Free Enterprise]</ref>

== Linguistic evidence ==
Some Christian sources<ref name="christiananswers"/> cite 18th and 19th century observations from the field of comparative historical linguistics showing belief that all languages originated in a single language spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. Some modern linguists now trace a number of language families to languages believed to be reconstructed at the time of the earliest known human civilizations or possibly before.<ref name="mcwhorter">John McWhorter. The Power of Babel.</ref> The Tower of Babel would have predated all known human civilizations outside of the area around modern Iraq. Linguists today are aware it is difficult to reconstruct the mother language for which there is no direct evidence apart from working with daughter tongues that have come down over time.<ref name="mcwhorter"/><ref>[http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/003036.html Language Log.]</ref>

To support the Biblical account, the [[Creation Museum]] in Kentucky reports the following:
<blockquote>The Bible claims that God created a number of human languages at the Tower of Babel "according to their families". Nineteenth-century linguists argued that languages evolved slowly, one by one. Today, linguists recognize languages fall into distinct "families" of recent origin.<ref name="langlog2">[http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004667.html#more Language Log.]</ref></blockquote>

Since the 1950s in the field of linguistics based upon an evolutionary worldview, there has been a belief that human language has a partially biological origin.<ref name="mcwhorter"/><ref>Steven Pinker. The Language Instinct.</ref><ref>Ronald Wardaugh. Investigating Language: Central Problems in Linguistics.</ref><ref>Frederick J. Newmeyer. Linguistic Theory in America.</ref> If this hypothesis is correct, from the evolutionary perspective, then the original language (or languages) may have been spoken about 150,000 years ago.

''Text based in part on the 1913 International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, a work in the public domain.''

== See also ==
* [[Tallest buildings in the world]]

==Further reading==
*Hodge, Bodie (2013). ''Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890517154.

== References ==
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E16T Is there any reference to the confusion of languages at Babel in early Mesopotamian literature?]
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E1GD Is there archaeological evidence of the Tower of Babel?]
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E1NB The Tower of Babel – Legend or History?]
*[http://fumacrom.com/1E1Pa The Encyclopedia of Babel]

[[Category:Biblical Places]]