@anne_desmet

On this day in 587 (or 586) BCE, Babylon’s siege (led by Nebuchadnezzar II) of Jerusalem ended, following the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, also known as the First Temple, which is said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant. The Jewish historian Josephus says: “the temple was burnt 470 years, 6 months and 10 days after it was built”. The destruction of Babylon’s own great tower, by contrast, is a biblical allegory to explain the origins of the multiplicity of languages, but it is possible a great Tower of Babel really did exist in ancient Babylon. My “Tower of Babel - Sandstone” (2000) is a collage of solarplate print, wood engraving, linocut and pen drawing on paper. It is one of my larger works at 50.3 x 75.5 cm and is in the collection of the Whitworth Art Gallery, UK. This and related collages and prints can be seen on the Gallery/Towers page of www.annedesmet.com. #annedesmet #onthisday #onthisdayinhistory #babel #babeltower #towerofbabel #babylon #nebuchadnezzar #jerusalem #ancientjerusalem #jerusalemhistory #solomontemple #arkofthecovenant #bible #genesis #allegory #whitworthartgallery #multiplelanguages #babelfish #royalacademyofarts #royalacademy #collage #collageart #collageartist #solarplate #linocut #woodengraving #woodengraver #linguistics #woodengraversnetwork