Nabopolassar (r.626-605 BC)
In 626 BC the previously unknown Chaldaean Nabopolassar (r.626-605 BC) led an uprising and declared himself king of Babylon. Sin-shar-ishkun fled to Nineveh leaving Babylon to the Chaldaeans. The two brothers fought for the control of the Babylonian cities. After three years of conflict Ashur-etil-ilani was killed in a battle near Sippar and Sin-shar-ishkun became king of Assyria (r.623-612 BC). He then declared war on Nabopolassar. Fighting spread over the next seven years with battles around the fortified cities held by the Assyrians. By 616 BC Nabopolassar was secure enough in Babylonia to move beyond its frontier into Assyrian territory. Alarmed at the rising might of the Babylonians, the Egyptians under Psamtek-I (r.664-610 BC) joined the Assyrians.
In the northeast the Medes invaded Assyria and captured Arrapha in 615 BC. The following year they captured Assur, where Nabopolassar met the Median king Cyaxares (r.625-585 BC) and agreed an alliance. Two years later the combined armies took Nineveh. Sin-shar-ishkun having been killed, one of his officers took the throne under the name of Ashur-uballit II (r.612-609 BC) and moved the capital to Harran. When the Egyptians returned to their homeland in 610 BC the Babylonians and Medians attacked and captured Harran.
In spring 609 BC Necho II (r.610-595 BC) led an Egyptian army into Palestine to help the Assyrians. He joined forces with Ashur-uballit II and laid siege to Harran. They were defeated and the Egyptians retreated into northern Syria; Ashur-uballit II and the Assyrians disappeared into history.
Nebuchadnezzar II (r.605-562 BC)
In 605 BC Nabopolassar’s son, Nebuchadnezzar II (r.605-562 BC) defeated the Egyptians in Carchemish. He was in pursuit of the fleeing survivors when he heard of the death of his father and had to hurry home to secure his power in Babylon.
In his first year Nebuchadnezzar returned to Syria to receive the submission of local states. With Egyptian encouragement a few coastal cities and the kingdom of Judah resisted. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ashkelon and Ekron but Judah surrendered to Babylonia in 603 BC and was spared.
In 601 BC an attempted invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar had setbacks and this led to rebellions among the Levantine states, including Judah. In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and deposed Jehoiachin (r.c.598-c.597 BC). In 587 BC there was another rebellion and after destroying both the city and the temple Nebuchadnezzar deported many of the inhabitants of Judah to Babylon.
Around 585 BC he began his famous thirteen-year siege of Tyre. Although the outcome of this is not clear it is likely that a compromise was reached in which Tyre was granted continued autonomy in recognition of Babylonian suzerainty. In his thirty-seventh year Nebuchadnezzar led an army to Egypt to restore Apries (r.589-570 BC) to his throne. The Babylonia army was driven back and Apries killed.
The last years of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign are obscure. His son Amel-Marduk (r.562-560 BC), the Evil-Marduk of scripture, was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar (r.560-556 BC). Neriglissar died a natural death but his son Labashi-Marduk (r.556 BC) was murdered and a successor acceptable to the Babylonian nobles was chosen to serve as king.
Fall of Babylon (539 BC)
Nabonidus (r.556-539 BC) was away from Babylon for a period of ten years in Arabia at the oasis of Teima from which he hoped to secure the trade routes from southern Arabia. During his absence his son Belshazzar served as regent. In c.543 BC Nabonidus returned to defend his kingdom from the Persians. Belshazzar was positioned to defend Babylon, while Nabonidus went north to meet Cyrus II (c.46; r.559-530 BC). The Nabonidus Chronicle informs us that in September 539 BC Cyrus defeated the Babylonia army at the strategic city of Opis on the Tigris. On 10 October Sippar surrendered and Nabonidus fled to Babylon. On 12 October Babylon surrendered to the army of Cyrus under his general Gobryas, and Nabonidus was taken prisoner. Cyrus himself did not arrive at Babylon until 29 October.
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