Fall of Harran

The Fall of Harran refers to the siege and capture of the Assyrian city of Harran by the Median and Neo-Babylonian empires.

Not to be confused with Siege of Harran or Battle of Harran.
Fall of Harran
Part of Medo-Babylonian war against Assyrian Empire
Date610-609 BC[1]
Location
Harran, Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Result Medo-Babylonian victory, fall of the Assyrian Empire[2][3][4]
Belligerents
Babylonians
Medians		 Assyria
Commanders and leaders
Nabopolassar
Cyaxares		 Ashur-uballit II
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Background

From the year 639 BC, the Neo-Assyrian Empire had been suffering from a decline in their power, culminating in Babylonian and Median invasions of their lands. The city of Arrapha fell in 615 BC, followed by Assur in 614 BC, and finally the famed Nineveh, the newest capital of Assyria, in 612 BC. Despite the brutal massacres that followed, the Assyrians survived as a political entity and escaped to Harran under their new king, Ashur-uballit II.[5] Establishing Harran as a capital for the Assyrians caught the attention of the Babylonian King Nabopolassar[5] and Median King Cyaxares, who were determined to forever destroy the threat of Assyrian resurgence.

Siege

Assyrian annals record no more after 610 BC[5] - the presumed date of the siege. The siege lasted for another year before the city finally fell in 609 BC.[6]

Aftermath

With the fall of Harran, the Assyrian empire ceased to exist as a state.[7][8][9] Remnants of the former Assyrian empire's army met up with the Egyptian forces that had defeated the Kingdom of Judah at Megiddo. In 605 BC, the Babylonians were again successful, as they defeated Egyptians along with part of the army of former Assyria at Carchemish, ending the Egyptian intervention in the Near East.

References
  1. Lipschitz, Oded (2005). The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem: Judah Under Babylonian Rule. Eisenbrauns. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-57506-095-8.
  2. Liverani, Mario (2013-12-04). The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. Routledge. p. 539. ISBN 978-1-134-75084-9.
  3. Frahm, Eckart (2017-06-12). A Companion to Assyria. John Wiley & Sons. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4443-3593-4.
  4. 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"
  5. Stephen Bertman (14 July 2005). Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. OUP USA. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-19-518364-1.
  6. Grant, R.G. (2005). Battle: A Visual Journey Through 5000 Years of Combat. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 18.
  7. Liverani, Mario (2013-12-04). The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. Routledge. p. 539. ISBN 978-1-134-75084-9.
  8. Frahm, Eckart (2017-06-12). A Companion to Assyria. John Wiley & Sons. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4443-3593-4.
  9. 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"

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.