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The Rise of Nimrod and the First Empire

(Years 100–340 After the Flood ≈ 2248–2008 B.C.)

The first generations born after the Flood entered a world still fresh with memory. The mountains of Ararat bore the marks of the waters that had covered the earth, the plains of Shinar shimmered with new rivers cut by retreating floods, and the terraced highlands of the north still held the altars erected by Noah and Shem. But while the land remembered judgment, the hearts of men soon forgot it.

These were the days of Peleg, of whom it is written, “in his days was the earth divided” Genesis 10:25. Ancient interpreters understood this not only as the division of languages at Babel but also as the division of the earth’s landmasses andvthe scattering of its peoples Genesis Rabbah 37:7; Jubilees 8:8–11; Book of Jasher 7:19–26. Many early writers recorded that before the division the earth was one land, one covenant community, and one tongue; afterward the peoples were dispersed across continents, and the lands themselves shifted and broke according to the decree of God Cave of Treasures 25; Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Genesis.

This era—roughly 2248 to 2008 B.C. in Ussher–Masoretic chronology—corresponds archaeologically to the Early Dynastic I–III periods in Mesopotamia, the rise of the early Egyptian dynasties, and the formation of tribal kingdoms across Anatolia, the Caucasus, and the Levant ED II–III royal inscriptions; Nissen, Early Ancient Near East; Bryce, Kingdom of the Hittites; Sagona, Archaeology of the Caucasus. The world was reorganizing itself, not only through divine judgment but through social, linguistic, and political upheaval.

The sons of Japheth spread to the north and west, settling the highlands of Anatolia, the Caucasus, and the regions around the Black Sea Genesis 10:2–5; Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.1. Their early settlements match the Kura–Araxes culture—agrarian, pastoral, and kin-based societies distinct from the urban centers of Shinar Kohl, Bronze Age Eurasia; Wilkinson, Tigris Settlements. The early Hatti peoples of central Anatolia, likewise kin-organized and agrarian, reflect Japheth’s line as it expanded westward Gurney, The Hittites; Mellink, AJA 1965.

Ham’s descendants, however, built cities. Egypt under Mizraim developed into a powerful civilization in the First and Second Dynasties, marked by divine kingship, monumental architecture, and a priestly class that fused political power with religious authority Genesis 10:6,13–14; Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.2; Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt. Cush’s line spread southward and eastward, forming the early Nubian and Arabian kingdoms, while Canaan’s sons filled the Levant with fortified settlements and city-states that foreshadowed later Phoenician and Amorite polities Genesis 10:15–19; Amarna proto-urban sites.

From Cush came the most infamous figure of the age: Nimrod, a mighty one in the earth, a hunter of men rather than beasts, a builder of cities and empires Genesis 10:8–12. He rose as the first tyrant after the Flood, ruling through fear, forced labor, and the centralization of power. He clothed himself in the skins of beasts as a sign of kingship, subdued the tribes of Shinar, and appointed himself ruler over the nations Jasher 7:23–33. In his days oppressive powers arose, kingdoms were founded in rebellion, and war first stained the post-Flood world, as men abandoned covenant stewardship for dominion and violence Jubilees 10:18–27. Cities were built, kingdoms established, and men began to make war one with another, marking the ascent of Nimrod’s dominion and the spread of tyranny across the earth Jubilees 10:29.

In the days of Nimrod the cities of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh rose from the plains—monuments of baked brick, organized labor, and human ambition Genesis 10:10. Across the land great urban centers emerged, marked by towering temple platforms, fortified precincts, and cities ordered around shrines and storehouses. Ziggurats ascended above Eridu and Uruk, while places such as Shuruppak and Kish were bound together by walls, tribute, and centralized authority Steinkeller, City-States of Mesopotamia; Liverani, Uruk: The First City. Kings ruled by tribute, priests governed labor, and temples stood at the heart of economic and political life. It was a world of pooled resources, enforced hierarchy, and expanding dominion—the very order set in opposition to the covenant pattern established from the beginning.

Yet not all the world bowed to Nimrod. Among the households of Shem and Japheth were many who remembered the covenant given through Adam and renewed through Noah. They refused the cities and remained in the highlands, laboring in the soil, tending their flocks, and worshiping at altars of unhewn stone. They dwelt in scattered villages and mountain valleys, preserving the ancient pattern of stewardship and obedience while the plains below filled with towers and kings Upper Tigris EB I–II;

Yet as cities multiplied and wealth increased, a spirit of centralization took hold. Nimrod drew the tribes of Shinar together under a single dominion. He introduced taxation, conscripted labor, and raised armies—the first military apparatus of the post-Flood world Jasher 7:25–33. His rule transformed the plains of Shinar into the first empire of mankind.

References

Genesis 10:25 — “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis Rabbah 37:7 — “In the days of Peleg the earth was divided—divided in language, divided in lands, and divided in peoples.” ↩ Back to Text

Jubilees 8:8–11 — “For in the days of Peleg the earth was divided… and they separated one from another into lands and nations, according to their tongues.” ↩ Back to Text

Book of Jasher 7:19–26 — “And it was at that time that the sons of men were divided upon the earth… and each family took its inheritance, and they were scattered over the face of the whole earth.” ↩ Back to Text

Cave of Treasures 25 — “In the days of Peleg the earth was divided, and the tongues of men were confounded, and the lands were parted one from another by the command of God.” ↩ Back to Text

Ephrem the Syrian, Commentary on Genesis — “Before the division all the earth was one, and all men were of one speech; but when they exalted themselves, the Lord divided their tongues and scattered them over the face of the earth.” ↩ Back to Text

Early Dynastic II–III Royal Inscriptions — Administrative and royal texts from ED II–III Mesopotamia attest to the consolidation of city-states governed by kings, temples, and bureaucratic households. These inscriptions regularly present rulers as organizers of labor, builders of temples, and recipients of tribute, stating that the king “established cities, set governors over them, and imposed duties and offerings for the gods.” ↩ Back to Text

Hans J. Nissen, The Early History of the Ancient Near East — Nissen documents the transformation of Near Eastern societies during the Early Dynastic period, emphasizing the emergence of stratified urban centers, institutional temples, and political hierarchies. He observes that this era marks “the decisive transition from village-based societies to organized city-states with centralized authority.” ↩ Back to Text

Trevor Bryce, The Kingdom of the Hittites — Bryce traces the formation of early Anatolian kingdoms from tribal coalitions and regional chiefdoms, noting that political authority emerged through kinship, warfare, and territorial consolidation. He notes that “the roots of later Hittite statehood lie in the network of early Bronze Age polities across central and eastern Anatolia.” ↩ Back to Text

A. Sagona, The Archaeology of the Caucasus — Sagona surveys Early Bronze Age cultures of the Caucasus, describing dispersed tribal societies organized around pastoralism, agriculture, and regional exchange. He writes that these communities experienced “increased mobility, regional differentiation, and the formation of local power centers during the Early Bronze Age.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis 10:2–5 — “The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras… By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands.” ↩ Back to Text

Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.1 — “Japheth, the son of Noah, had seven sons… and their posterity inhabited the regions beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, and so went on to Asia and Europe.” ↩ Back to Text

Philip L. Kohl, The Bronze Age Civilization of Central Asia — Kohl describes Early Bronze Age highland societies as kin-based, agro-pastoral communities distinct from Mesopotamian urbanism. He notes that these cultures were characterized by “small-scale farming, herding economies, and social organization rooted in extended family networks rather than centralized state institutions.” ↩ Back to Text

T. J. Wilkinson, Settlement Systems of the Tigris Basin — Wilkinson documents contrasts between highland pastoral-agrarian settlements and lowland urban centers, observing that Early Bronze Age upland communities favored “kin-based villages, mixed farming and herding, and limited political hierarchy.” ↩ Back to Text

O. R. Gurney, The Hittites — Gurney traces the early Hatti peoples to agrarian and kin-organized societies of central Anatolia, noting that early Anatolian culture developed prior to imperial expansion. He states that “the earliest inhabitants of central Anatolia lived in village communities supported by agriculture and stock-breeding.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis 10:6, 13–14 — “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan… And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim.” ↩ Back to Text

Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.2 — “Now all the children of Ham inhabited the land from Syria and Amanus, and the mountains of Libanus, as far as the sea and the ocean; and some of them were the first that ventured to make settlements.” ↩ Back to Text

T. J. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt — Archaeological synthesis of Egypt’s First and Second Dynasties documents the emergence of divine kingship, centralized administration, and monumental architecture. Wilkinson notes that early Egyptian society was organized around “a fusion of political authority, temple institutions, and royal ideology expressed through large-scale construction and ritual control.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis 10:15–19 — “And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth… and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad… and the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon… unto Gaza.” ↩ Back to Text

Amarna Region Proto-Urban Sites — Archaeological evidence from the Levant documents early fortified settlements and city-states emerging prior to the Late Bronze Age. Scholars describe these proto-urban centers as “fortified towns and administrative hubs that foreshadow later Phoenician and Amorite polities through trade, defense, and regional governance.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis 10:8–12 — “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord… And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” ↩ Back to Text

Book of Jasher 7:23–33 — “And Cush the son of Ham begat Nimrod… and he reigned wickedly upon the earth, and all the sons of men feared him… and Nimrod ruled over all the children of men, and they were under his power.” ↩ Back to Text

Jubilees 10:18–27 — “And Cush begat Nimrod, and he began to rule over the sons of Noah… and they began to build cities and strongholds, and to make themselves kings.” ↩ Back to Text

Jubilees 10:29 — “And they began to make war one with another, and to shed blood upon the earth.” ↩ Back to Text

Genesis 10:10 — “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.” ↩ Back to Text

Piotr Steinkeller, City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia — Steinkeller outlines the structure of Early Dynastic Mesopotamian cities as centralized institutions dominated by temples and palaces that organized labor, land, and tribute. He notes that Early Dynastic urbanism was defined by “the concentration of economic resources in temple and palace households and the subordination of surrounding populations to institutional control.” ↩ Back to Text

Mario Liverani, Uruk: The First City — Liverani describes Uruk as the archetype of early urban civilization, characterized by monumental religious architecture, administrative control, and regional dominance. He writes that Uruk represents “the emergence of a new social order centered on urban institutions, hierarchical authority, and the management of surplus on a scale previously unknown.” ↩ Back to Text

Upper Tigris — Early Bronze Age I–II — Archaeological surveys of the Upper Tigris basin document small, dispersed agrarian settlements and highland pastoral villages dating to the Early Bronze Age I–II, characterized by terraced fields, mixed farming and herding, and limited urban development. Researchers describe these communities as “upland agro-pastoral societies organized around kinship, seasonal movement, and local subsistence rather than centralized authority.” ↩ Back to Text

Book of Jasher 7:25–33 — “And Nimrod ruled over all the sons of Noah, and he gathered them together, and he placed officers over them, and they served him… and he made war upon the nations round about, and subdued them under his hand.” ↩ Back to Text