Medo-Babylonian war against Assyrian Empire

Medo-Babylonian war against Assyrian Empire
Date626-609 BC
LocationMiddle-east
Result Decisive Medo-Babylonian victory
End of Assyria as an independent state[1]
Belligerents
Medes
Babylonians		 Assyrians
Ancient Egypt
Commanders and leaders
Cyaxares
Nabopolassar		 Sinsharishkun
Ashur-uballit II
Strength
Unknown Unknown

The Medo-Babylonian war against Assyrian Empire was the last war fought by the Assyrian Empire. The war ultimately led to the destruction of the Assyrian Empire.

Background

In the first half of the seventh century B.C.E, the Assyrian Empire was at the height of its power, the entire fertile crescent was under its control and the Assyrians had established an allied dynasty in Egypt. However, When Assurbanipal died in 627 BCE, his son Assur-etil-ilâni became briefly king before being killed during a revolt, probably launched by his brother, Sin-shar-ishkun. The latter then became king of the Assyrian Empire, but Babylonia's governor, Nabopolassar proclaimed himself king of Babylonia. From 626/625 BCE, Sin-shar-ishkun engaged in a war to make Babylonia come back under his rule.

The war

The Assyrians quickly conquered Uruk but lost it again.[2] The Babylonians defeated the Assyrians at the battle of Nippur[3] and aftermath, are victorious in 616 BC and 615 BC (Battle of Arrapha) but are defeated at Assur. The situation changed when the Medes, under the command of Cyaxares, invaded the Assyrian Empire, beating them in 614 BC at the battle of Tarbisu and at Assur (which was looted), but the Babylonians were defeated at Anat. Medes and Babylonians joined their forces to besiege Nineveh so that in July 612 BC, after 3 months of battle, the city was taken by the allied forces and Sin-shar-ishkun was killed during the battle. The Median forces played the major part in the city's downfall.[4] Ashur-uballit II, the new king of Assyria, took Harran as capital and tried to repel the invaders with the help of Egypt, but he was defeated in 609 BC during the Fall of Harran.[5] Assur-uballit II launched an offensive to reconquer Harran, but this attempt failed. Assyria then ceased to exist as an independent state, never to rise again.[6] However, although Babylon, under Nabopolassar, struck Assyria first, it's doubtful that the Babylonians would have scored a final victory over the Assyrian Empire without the support of the Medes.[7] The Median offensive proved to be devastating for the Assyrians.[8] In all of ancient history, the fall of the Assyrian empire is one the most impressive and renowned.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Oxford Bible Atlas "Ashuruballit assumed control over what remained of Assyria in Haran, but Haran too was captured by the Medes and the Babylonians in 610 and the might of Assyria was ended"
  2. ↑ John Boardman, The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and other states of the Near East, from the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C., Volume 3, Cambridge University Press (1991), p. 62.
  3. ↑ John Boardman, The Assyrian and Babylonian Empires and other states of the Near East, from the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C., Volume 3, Cambridge University Press (1991), p. 61.
  4. ↑ Encyclopedia Iranica "Finally, after three months of siege, in August of 612, the joined forces of the Medes and Babylonians stormed Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, and took it. The major part in the city’s downfall was played by the Medes."
  5. ↑ Bertman, Stephen (2005). Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. New York: Oxford UP. p. 80.
  6. ↑ A Companion to Assyria : page 192
  7. ↑ A Companion to assyria : page 192
  8. ↑ A Companion to Assyria : page 192
  9. ↑ The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem: Judah Under Babylonian Rule : Page 11
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