The ancient New Babylonian kingdom existed from 626 to 539. BC e. During its heyday under Nebuchadnezzar II, it occupied the territory of all of Mesopotamia and Judea right up to the border with Egypt. Babylon has become the center of world culture and scientific knowledge. And this despite the fact that the power regularly fought with its neighbors. In 539 BC e. Babylon was captured by the Persians and lost its independence.
Rise of Nabopalasar
The second Babylonian kingdom, or otherwise the New Babylonian kingdom, was the reincarnation of the old state, once conquered by Assyria. In 626 BC e. Viceroy Nabopalasar (Chaldean nationality) decided to disconnect from the empire and become an independent ruler. He managed to capture Babylon and make it his capital.
The success of the uprising became possible due to the fact that the previously powerful and great Assyrian empire in the 7th century. BC e. suffered from civil strife and clan wars. In fact, it has already split into several political centers and simply could not control Babylonia. All that was needed was a leader who could organize a coup. They became Nabopalasar. He managed to capture important cities in the middle reaches of the Euphrates - the most fertile and economically developed region of the empire. These centers were Uruk and Nippur.
The final defeat of Assyria
Nabopalasar was a skilled diplomat. He enlisted the support of Media, who was an ally of Babylon in his war against Assyria. In 614 BC e. one of the largest cities of the empire, Ashur, was captured. He was looted and destroyed. Locals were sold into slavery or became refugees. The history of the Ancient East is known for its cruelty, and in this sense, the Babylonian kings were just typical representatives of their era.
Assyria remained in the hands of the capital of Nineveh, surpassing even Babylon in wealth and grandeur. In this city there was a famous library with clay tablets, the discovery of which allowed modern archaeologists to find many unique documents and codify ancient dead languages.
In 612 BC e. Nineveh fell after a three-month siege and assault undertaken by the allied forces of the Babylonians and Medes. The city was destroyed just like Ashur. In its place there are only ashes and ruins. The last Assyrian king set fire to himself in his own palace, so as not to fall into the hands of enemies. In fact, his empire was destroyed. Assyria was never restored, and its memory was buried under the sands of the Middle East. Babylon and Midia divided the territory of the captured state. In the future, these countries also successfully fought against the invasions of the wild Scythians.
The beginning of the conflict with the pharaohs
Nabopalasar had a son, Nebuchadnezzar, who was to become his heir on the throne. He was destined to become the greatest king of Babylon and the most famous symbol of all this lost civilization. During his lifetime, his father tried to accustom his successor to power, taking him with him on military campaigns. So, in 607 BC. e. The New Babylonian kingdom came to the rescue of the faithful ally of Medes. The two powers fought together in modern Armenia against the state of Urartu. Here, the future king of Babylon received valuable military experience, which was useful to him in adulthood.
A few years later, in 605 BC. e., Nabopalasar declared war on Egypt, whose forces disturbed the king's border fortresses on the Euphrates. At that time, the pharaohs owned not only the Nile Valley, but also the whole of Palestine, where Israel is now located. The New Babylonian kingdom could not exist quietly while the Egyptians were in this Asian region.
First victories in Palestine
Nabopalasar was already old and sick, so the army was led by Nebuchadnezzar. Pharaoh Necho opposed the enemy army, which also included his allies, Nubians and mercenaries from around the world, including from Greece. In May 605 BC e. near the city of Karkemish there was a decisive battle. The Babylonians won, although it came to them at the cost of great human losses. The battle was so important to contemporaries that it was even mentioned in the Bible.
After this, the vassal Palestinian and Phoenician kings began to pay tribute not to Egypt, but to Babylon. But Pharaoh was lucky. He would have been completely defeated if Nebuchadnezzar had not received the news of the death of his elderly father. The war stopped for a while.
Conquest of the District
Nebuchadnezzar II ruled Babylon in 605-562. BC e. The history of the Ancient East does not know a greater king than he. From the very beginning of his reign, the pharaoh conducted an active foreign policy, taking turns straightening and conquering his neighbors.
Death stopped his military campaign against Egypt. In the first two years of being on the throne, Nebuchadnezzar II made up for lost time. Due to the fact that the Babylonians left Zarechye (the region between the Euphrates and the Mediterranean Sea), local princes tried to restore their alliance with the pharaoh. The first to pay for this was the city of Ascalon, in which the ancient people of the Philistines lived.
This port on the Mediterranean coast was one of the richest in Palestine. Probably the oldest international trade route that connected Egypt with Syria, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome went through it. The route was called the "road of the sea." City owners made huge profits from trade. The former Assyrian empire also tried to control it.
The king of Ascalon, Adon, learning that the army of the Babylonians was approaching him, sent a messenger to Egypt to ask Necho II for help. Pharaoh never sent reinforcements, and in 603 BC. e. the city was taken by storm.
Relations with the Jews
After this victory, the army of the New Babylonian kingdom took a short break, and soon advanced towards Judea. King of Jerusalem Joachim did not want to repeat the fate of Ascalon and Nineveh. He sent an embassy to Nebuchadnezzar with expensive gifts and promised to pay tribute regularly. This saved Jerusalem from destruction. So the Babylonian king conquered Zarechye and Palestine, depriving the Egyptian pharaoh of influence throughout Asia.
When Nebuchadnezzar II went to war in Africa, the Jewish cities rebelled, not wanting to pay tribute. In 597 BC e. the Babylonian armies again found themselves at the walls of Jerusalem. This time, the gifts did not save Joachim. He was captured and killed. Instead of the executed king, his son Jehonia was seated on the throne. To complete the conquest of Judea and deprive her of the desire to rebel again, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the capture of members of all noble Jewish families.
However, two years later, Jehonia also began to pursue a policy against Babylon. Then the army entered Jerusalem, plundered the royal palace and the Jerusalem temple, from which many sacred relics were removed. Jehonia was taken prisoner in Mesopotamia, and his uncle Zedekiah was seated on the throne. In addition, ten thousand Jews were expelled from the city.
Babylonian hegemony
The first twenty years of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II were marked by wars with Egypt and its Asian allies. After Judea, Phenicia and its richest cities Sidon and Tire fell.
The Jordanian states of Moab and Ammon were also defeated. This is the answer to the question of which countries and peoples the New Babylonian kingdom conquered. The Egyptian pharaoh lost all of his satellites. In 582 BC e. a peace treaty was signed, which de jure enshrined the hegemony of Babylon in the Middle East.
Heyday of the country
The economic prosperity that the country experienced under Nebuchadnezzar made it possible to completely rebuild Babylon, which had previously been plundered several times during Assyrian rule. A new magnificent palace was built, and in the north of the city appeared the legendary Hanging Gardens. This unique complex has become one of the seven wonders of the world along with the Alexandria Lighthouse, Egyptian pyramids, etc.
The border of the New Babylonian kingdom was well guarded, but Nebuchadnezzar II did not forget about the safety of his capital. The walls of the city were completely rebuilt, turning it into an impregnable bastion. Construction was underway that improved the lives of ordinary people. New roads were erected throughout the kingdom. Thanks to them, merchants from all over the world could quickly cross the country and sell their goods in Babylon, which replenished the treasury.
The Ancient East reached its peak due to the development of agriculture in the fertile valleys of Mesopotamia. In the New Babylonian kingdom, pools and canals were built, allowing artificial irrigation of new plots.
Kings and priests
One of the most important ideas of Nebuchadnezzar was the completion of the magnificent ziggurat Etemenanka, which had been standing in the city since the time of Hammurabi. Researchers and archaeologists consider this building a prototype of the famous Tower of Babel. The height of the structure reached 91 meters, which for those times was an absolute record.
Ziggurat was a place of worship to the cult of the gods. In Babylon, the influence of the priests was great. This estate was the only one that had the opportunity to challenge the decisions of the monarch. How did the lords rule the New Babylonian kingdom? It is noteworthy here that the king always consulted with the priests and did not do anything without their approval.
For example, Nebuchadnezzar himself was especially dependent on the religious estate. In the last years of his life, he enjoyed the world, engaged in the improvement of his own country. The king died in 562 BC. e. After this, a period of civil strife and regular palace coups began in Babylon. The power was preserved only due to the margin of safety that was gained during the reign of Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar II.
War with persia
The second Babylonian kingdom perished due to the rise of a new power - Persia. This country was ruled by the Achaemenid dynasty, so in historiography it is often called the Achaemenid empire. The state appeared in 550 BC. e. It was founded by Cyrus II the Great, who came to power after a successful uprising against Media.
From the very beginning, the New Babylonian and Persian kingdom became the worst adversaries. This conflict is explained by the ambitions of the monarchs, as well as the religious and linguistic difference between the peoples living in these countries.
At first, Babylon supported those kingdoms that found themselves on the path of Persian expansion. Cyrus II took turns seizing Media, Lydia, Ionia, Caria, and Lycia. These were lands on the territory of Iran and the peninsula of Asia Minor. After the first successes, Cyrus decided to attack Babylon itself.
Nabonid vs Cyrus
The last ruler of the Second Kingdom, Nabonidus, faced mortal danger. He received little support from Egypt, but it did not help him much. Babylon devoured inside national contradictions. The main problem remained the restless Jews, who continued to resist any oppression, despite the repression and the repeated fall of Jerusalem.
When Cyrus attacked the New Babylonian kingdom, national uprisings were already in full swing there. Frightened governors of the provinces went over to the Persians to save their lives. The enemy army captured Babylon in 539 BC. e. After that, the city lost its political significance. Cyrus formally left the title of Babylonian king, but the country itself completely lost its independence.
Babylon even became the capital of Alexander the Great, but in the 3rd century BC e. finally fell into decay and emptied. Its ruins attracted the attention of modern archaeologists only in the 19th century.