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A day in the life of an ancient Babylonian business mogul - Soraya Field Fiorio

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TEDEd Animation

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It’s 1762 BCE. As dawn breaks in the Babylonian city of Sippar, Beltani— a priestess and businesswoman— receives an urgent visit from her brother. He makes a troubling accusation: her tavern keeper has been undermining the business Beltani relies on in her old age. Now she has just a few short hours to find out the truth. Soraya Field Fiorio details a day in the life of a Babylonian naditu.

Beltani spared her brother’s life by not revealing that he altered the weights used for measuring payment, a crime punishable by death. Was she right to do this?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Soraya Field Fiorio
  • Director Keegan Thornhill
  • Narrator Susan Zimmerman
  • Storyboard Artist Keegan Thornhill
  • Animator Tammy Rossouw, Keegan Thornhill
  • Background Artist Dwayne de Kock
  • Sound Designer Weston Fonger
  • Music Jarrett Farkas
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Editorial Producer Elizabeth Cox
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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