The Chaldaean seizure of the Babylonian throne was followed by an intensified Assyrian involvement in the country’s affairs. When an attempt to bring the people to rebel against Nabu-mukin-zeri proved unsuccessful, Tiglath-pileser III sent in his troops. Nabu-mukin-zeri was killed and the Assyrian king decided to govern Babylonia himself (729-727 BC).
A Chaldaean leader from Bit Yakin, Marduk-apla-iddina II (r.722-710, 703 BC), the biblical Merodach-Baladan II, ascended the Babylonian throne and was supported by Humban-nikash-I (r.743-717 BC), king of Elam. In 720 BC Sargon II (r.722-705 BC) marched against him and a great battle was fought at Der (near Badrah), in which the Assyrian army was defeated. When Sargon reconquered Babylonia after 710 BC he drove Marduk-apla-iddina II into exile in Elam and made himself the ruler of Babylonia (710-705 BC).
Soon after Sennacherib (r.705-681 BC) came to the Assyrian throne the Babylonians made a bid for independence under a new king, Marduk-zakir-shumi II (r.703 BC). He was almost immediately replaced by Marduk-apla-iddina II, who had returned from exile with Elamite support. Sennacherib defeated him in a Battle at Kish and Marduk-zakir-shumi II was forced to flee once more. Sennacherib appointed a Babylonian, Bel-ibni (r.703-700 BC), to the kingship.
In 700 BC Bel-ibni rebelled and Marduk-apla-iddina II returned once more and gained control of part of the south, including Ur. Sennacherib put down the revolt. Bel-ibni was taken away and replaced by Sennacherib’s son, Ashur-nadin-shumi (r.700-694 BC); Marduk-apla-iddina II fled to his new refuge in a region of the Elamite frontier.
In 694 BC Sennacherib mounted a land and sea operation aimed at securing an access to the Gulf. The Elamites reacted immediately. Hallushu-Inshushinak (r.699-693 BC) invaded Mesopotamia and took Sippar. The Babylonians handed over Ashur-nadin-shumi to the Elamites, who sent him to Iran, and made a Babylonian Nergal-ushezib (r.694-693 BC) king of Babylon. Marduk-zakir-shumi II died in exile.
Nergal-ushezib was expelled and replaced by Mushezib-Marduk (r.693-689 BC), a Chaldaean prince chosen by the local population. In 691 or 690 BC the Elamites under Humban-numena III (r.692-688 BC) with a large number of allies confronted the Assyrians at Hallule (near Samarra). Described as an Assyrian victory in their records, the outcome does seem to have been so clear-cut. Babylon came under siege and when the city fell in 689 BC it was sacked and a large section of its population deported.
Esarhaddon (r.681-669 BC) restored the city. In 672 BC he announced that his son Shamash-shum-ukin (r.668-648 BC) would be the future king of Babylonia, ruling it subject to his brother Ashurbanipal (r.669-631 BC). Shamash-shum-ukin led a rebellion (652-648 BC) against his brother. In 650 BC Babylon was under siege and when Babylon fell, Shamash-shum-ukin died in his burning palace.
Kandalanu (r.648-627 BC), whose origins are unknown, was made king of Babylon. Ashurbanipal abdicated and his son Ashur-etil-ilani (r.631-623 BC) ascended to the throne. When Kandalanu died, a usurper Sin-shumu-lishir (r.627 BC) was proclaimed king in Babylon. His forces were soon defeated, however, and Ashur-etil-ilani’s brother Sin-shar-ishkun (r.627 BC) was recognized as king of Babylon.
Leave a Reply