Thank you for the question on the formation of differing culture, “Was it during the time of Abraham or shortly before that the different cultures of the Earth were still forming after the Tower of Babel?”
Here’s an opinion on the development of culture. Culture is defined as this, “
The customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.” by Oxford Dictionary.
Noah and his family experienced the culture of living in the “city” and living in the “countryside.” It is through his descendants that people were either living in towns/cities, on established herding ranges, or more hunters/explorers who moved into new territory. The heads of those people group or collaboration of individuals established a “culture” in their location.
The cities in the Old Testament were governed by a ruler with his people group being able to established a city or to conquer a town/city and make it their own. The example would be Esau whose descendants established a kingdom with its language, beliefs, values, and practices being able to trade with other people groups in the area. Esau’s grandfather, Abraham was a herdsman who lived in a certain range. As head of his tribe, he established the “cultural value” for his family.
As one reads Genesis, culture was already well established by Abraham’s time as the biblical text states that he left Ur of Chaldeans, saw the Canaanite culture of the Philistines, the Moabites as well as the Egyptians. Depending on the population growth, merger with other people group or conquest of smaller or weaker people group, that ruler may be able to establish a city and even a kingdom with an established army, a central government, and dictates of that government from religious beliefs and laws for its people.
According to the Scriptures, the scattering of the people groups through language confusion enable certain people group to form and established their own territory and their own culture. By the time of Abraham, the Mesopotamia region to the Mediterranean Sea was “occupied” by some people group especially trade routes or river crossings. Culture began to develop as people settled and developed their skills.
In my opinion, culture was already advanced by the time of Abraham and continue to develop thereafter. Just imagine how much the American Culture has changed in the last 300 years.
Culture developed when a people group is able to established themselves in a certain location whereby they can thrive through a strong leader who can organize and protect that group of people.
SUMMARY: Cultures were well developed by the time of Abraham and he established a culture for his descendants.
-Kingston