The Tower of Babel was constructed during the timeframe that towers were being built all over Mesopotamia and Persia. Mud brick platforms constructed initially to survive spring floods grew over time to become temples to honor and worship whatever pagan god protected their city. The Tower of Babel was one among a number of ziggurats constructed in cities throughout the region. Only the later generations of Shem, named in the eleventh chapter of Genesis, found themselves living in Babylon ruled by a Hamitic king. It is these generations who became conflicted, confused, and confounded when the massive effort to build a monumental tower came to naught.