The Bible may be giving us more clues than we realize about Babylon.  Let's suppose for the sake of argument that Babylon COULD be a city other than ancient Babylon.  Revelation still has many references to ancient Babylon that we certainly should pay attention to in order to help identify who "Babylon" is in our modern world.

Herodotus (485BC to 425 BC) told us

• People risked their lives to trade with Babylon.
• They built disposable boats just to get there.
• They sold wine to Babylon.
• Babylon was known for extravagance.
• They dressed in linen.
• Wives were "sold".
• All women were required to engage in prostitution at least once.

He said this...

• "But that which surprises me most in the land, after the city itself, I will now proceed to mention. The boats which come down the river to Babylon are circular, and made of skins. The frames, which are of willow, are cut in the country of the Armenians above Assyria, and on these, which serve for hulls, a covering of skins is stretched outside, and thus the boats are made, without either stem or stern, quite round like a shield. They are then entirely filled with straw, and their cargo is put on board, after which they are suffered to float down the stream. Their chief freight is wine, stored in casks made of the wood of the palm-tree. They are managed by two men who stand upright in them, each plying an oar, one pulling and the other pushing. The boats are of various sizes, some larger, some smaller; the biggest reach as high as five thousand talents' burthen. Each vessel has a live ass on board; those of larger size have more than one. When they reach Babylon, the cargo is landed and offered for sale; after which the men break up their boats, sell the straw and the frames, and loading their asses with the skins, set off on their way back to Armenia. The current is too strong to allow a boat to return upstream, for which reason they make their boats of skins rather than wood. On their return to Armenia they build fresh boats for the next voyage."
  (Herodotus, Book 1, ch 194)

WOW!!!  It was known for water travel, not because it had deep water ports, but because people risked their life to travel there by water even though they could not get back by water.  Imagine a boat floating on animal skin - the slightest puncture could drown you, your stuff, etc.  And you're carrying a donkey on the boat so you can get back?  Is a donkey really dependable not to puncture the skin and sink the boat?  That is a big risk, but people took it.  And travelling by donkey back to Armenia is not a short trip.  They had to make a lot of money from the cargo to make that trip worth it.

So people REALLY risked their lives to GET to Babylon just to make money because no place closer would provide the same wealth of trade!  WOW!!!! That is impressive.  No one risks their life like that to get to the USA and trade.  Travel is safe today.

Also, people built disposable boats to get there?  Ever hear of such a thing before?  I haven't.  That is another thing that made trade by waterway impressive with Babylon.  How often is the cargo worth more than the vessel it is transported on?  Those supertankers of oil need to make numerous trips to pay for barrels of oil.

Wine is mentioned as what Babylon consumed, and what does Scripture tell us?

• "all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries" (Rev 18:3)

And elsewhere we are told....

• "hurt not the oil and the wine." (Rev 6:6)

Is this a link between ancient Babylon (known for wine) and modern day Babylonia (Iraq), known for trade in oil?

Babylon was also known for extravagance

• "The dress of the Babylonians is a linen tunic reaching to the feet, and above it another tunic made in wool"
  (Herodotus, Book 1, ch 195)

Scripture tells us, "Woe! Woe to you, great city,dressed in fine linen" (Rev 18:16).  this does NOT describe the USA at all, where 75% of men's clothing is cotton and much of the rest is cotten blends.  60% of women's clothing is cotton or a cotton blend.  The next most popular is polyester.

Linen is made from flax, and is popular in hot climates since it helps keep people cool in warm climates.  That is why it was popular in Babylon, which is a hot climate, and why it is popular in the Mid-East today.  But it is not popular in the USA, which is warmer than Europe, but cooler than the Mid-East.  The popularity of linen in Rev 18:16 speaks to us  of Babylon being located in a warm/hot climate.  Most of the USA is too far north of the equator for linen to be popular.

Linen used to be popular for bed coverings and tablecloths, which is why they are sometimes called "linens", even if they are made from a different kind of fabric than "linen".  Because of that, we use the word "linen" to sometimes refer to a fabric made from flax, and sometimes to refer to coverings for beds, tables, etc., out of other materials other than linen.  But the context here in Revelation is obvious that the word "linen" is being used for a fabric, not for a type of covering made from any kind of fabric.

Babylon was also known for extravagance

• "They have long hair, wear turbans on their heads, and anoint their whole body with perfumes. Every one carries a seal, and a walking-stick, carved at the top into the form of an apple, a rose, a lily, an eagle, or something similar; for it is not their habit to use a stick without an ornament."
  (Herodotus, Book 1, ch 196)

So what is unnecessary and useless is considered a "must-have" in this society.

In Chapter 197, Herodotus describes how wives were bought for money.  Men bid for wives at public auctions, knowing nothing about their future wives but their appearance.  The women became the property of whatever men bought them, matching Rev 18:13 which describes "human beings sold as slaves." (Rev 18:13)

In Chapter 199, Herodotus describes how all women living in Babylon where required to go to one temple and wait for a man to pay them for sex at least once in their life.  They would go and couldn't leave until a man came and paid them for sex.  Rev 17-18 calls Babylon, "the Mother of Prostitutes" (Rev 17:5), describes her as a whore/Prostitute (Rev 17:15,18:3,9).

There's no doubt about it - Revelation 17-18 describes ancient Babylon to a "T", and in ways that don't match the USA.  For example;

• Many countries drink more wine per capita that the USA, such as France. We are not known for wine.
• Linen is not the "in" fashion.  The USA is not the right climate for that and the popularity of linen in Babylon is a hint to look towards a warm/hot climate for the location of "Babylon."
• Slavery has been outlawed in the USA.  We are not famous for selling slaves.  On the contrary, we are famous for outlawing it.

So that is 3 characteristics that don't match the USA, and nearly EVERYTHING in Rev 17-18 matches ancient Babylon perfectly.  So maybe Babylon....really is Babylon!!!

Shalom, Joe