ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA

Itubal of Sidon overlord of Phoeuicia, and assailed Tyre with the allied fleet. Its king escaped to Cyprus, but the city held out. Sennacherib meanwhile passed down the coast, reduced Ashkelon, but was met at Eltekeh by the Arabians and Egyptians. He gained an easy victory, and captured Eltekeh, Timnath, and Ekron. Then he concentrated his attention upon Judah, captured 46 fortified cities, deported 200,150 people, and shut up Hezekiah, 'like a bird in a cage,' in Jerusalem. He assigned the Judsean cities to the kings of Ashdod, Ekron, and Gaza, imposed fresh tribute, and received of Hezekiah thirty talents of gold, eight hundred talents of silver, precious stones, couches of ivory, thrones of ivory, precious woods, his daughters, his palace women, male and female singers, etc., an enormous spoil, which was carried to Nineveh. His siege of Lachish is depicted on his monuments. Before his campaign was over, Merodach-baladan had again appeared in Babylon. A difficulty has always been felt about the destruction of Sennacherib's army, because, if it took place after this campaign, he could hardly have been so successful in Babylonia. His inscriptions end with B.C. 689, but Esarhaddon's refer-ences to the conquests of his father in Arabia, and a fragmentary reference to Azekah, suggest that he invested Jerusalem again, on a second campaign, and that the destruction occurred then. The Biblical narrative suggests that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, had already appeared on the scene. This would date the event after B.C. 691. Further, it seems to have occurred soon before his death in B.C. 681.

In Babylonia, Bel-ibni proved unfaithful and was recalled. Ashur-nadin-shum, Sennacherib's son, was installed as king, and reigned six years. Sennacherib devastated Bit lakin and defeated Shuzub, a Chaldsean king. He then employed Phoenician shipbuilders and Bailors to build ships at Til-barslp, on the Euphrates, and at Nineveh, on the Tigris. He floated his fleets down to the mouth of the rivers, shipped his army, and landed at the mouth of the KarQn, where the Chaldseans had taken refuge, B.C. 695. He sent the captives by ship to Assyria, and marched his army into S. Elam. The king of Elam, however, swooped down on Babylon and carried off Ashur-nadin-shum to Elam. Nergal-ushSzib was raised to the throne, and, aided by Elamite troops, proceeded to capture the Assyrian garrisons and cut off the southern army. Sennacherib retreated to Erech and awaited Nergal-ushSzib, who had occupied Nippur. He was defeated, captured, and taken to Assyria, B.C. 693. The Babylonians now made Shuzub, the Chaldaean, king under the name of Mushgzib-Marduk. A revolution in Elam tempted Sennacherib to invade that country, perhaps in hope of rescuing his son. He swept all before him, the Elamite king retreating to the mountains, but the severe winter forced Sennacherib to retreat, B.C. 692. Mushezib-Marduk and the Baby-lonians opened the treasury of Marduk to bribe the Elamites for support. A great army of Eiamites, Aramaeans, Chaldaeans, and Babylonians barred Sennach-erib's return at HalQle, on the E. of the Tigris, B.C. 691. Sennacherib claimed the victory, but had no power to do more, and left Mushezib-Marduk alone for the time. He came back to Babylonia in B.C. 690, and the new Elamite king being unable to assist, Babylon was taken, MushSzib-Marduk deposed and sent to Nineveh. Baby-lon was then sacked, fortifications and walls, temples and palaces razed to the ground, the inhabitants mas-sacred, the canals turned over the ruins, b.c. 689. Sennacherib made Babylonia an Assyrian province, and was king himself till his death (b.c. 681). Thereis reason to think that he appointed Esarhaddon regent of Baby-lonia; at any rate it seems that this prince began to rebuild Babylon before his father's death.

Sennacherib chose Nineveh, which had become a second-rate city, as his capital, and, by his magnificent buildings and great fortifications, made it a formidable

ASSYRIA AND BABYLONIA

rival to Calah, Asshur, and even Babylon before Its destruction. His last few years are in obscurity, but he was murdered by his son or sons. See Adrammelech.

(n) Esarhaddon came to the throne b.c 680, after a short struggle with the murderers of his father and their party. He had to repel an incursion of the Cimmerians in the beginning of his reign, and then conquered the Medes. In b.c 677 Sidon was in revolt, but was taken and destroyed, a new city called Kar-Esarhaddon being built to replace it and colonized with captives from Elam and Babylonia, Ezr 4^. In b.c 676, Esarhaddon marched into Arabia and conquered the eight kings of Bazu and Hazu (Buz and Huz of Gn 222'). in b.c ,674 he invaded Egypt, and again in 673. In b.c. 670 he made his great effort to conquer Egypt, drove back the Egyptian army from the frontier to Memphis, winning three severe battles. Memphis surrendered, Tirhakah fled to Thebes, and Egypt was made an Assy rian province. In B.C. 668 it revolted, and on the march to reduce it Esarhaddon died. He divided the Empire between his two sons, Ashurbanipal being king of Assyria and the Empire, while Shamash-shura-ukin was king of Babylon as a vassal of his brother.

(o) Ashurbanipal at once prosecuted his father's reduction of Egypt to submission. Tirhakah had drawn the Assyrian governors, some of them native Egyptians, as Necho, into a coalition against Assyria. Some re-mained faithful, and the rising was suppressed ; Tirhakah was driven back to Ethiopia, where he died b.c 664. Tantamon invaded Egypt again, and Ashurbanipal in B.C. 662 again suppressed a rising, drove the Ethiopian out, and captured Thebes. Ashurbanipal besieged Ba'al, king of Tyre, and although unable to capture the city, obtained its submission and that of Arvad, Tabal, and Cilicia. Gyges, king of Lydia, exchanged embassies, and sent Ashurbanipal two captive Cimmerians, but he afterwards allied himself with Psammetichus, son of Necho, and assisted him to throw off the Assyrian yoke. The Minni had been restless, and Ashurbanipal next reduced them. Elam was a more formidable foe. Allying himself with the Aramaeans and ChaldEeans, Urtaku, king of Elam, invaded Babylonia, but he was defeated and his throne seized by Teumman. Ashur-banipal took advantage of the revolution to Invade Elam and capture Susa; and after killing Teumman put Ummanigash and Tammaritu, two sons of Urtaku, on the thrones of two districts of Elam. He then took vengeance on the Aramasans, E. of the Tigris. His brother, Shamash-shum-ukin, now began to plot for independence. He enlisted the Chaldaeans, Aramaeans, and Ummanigash of Elam, Arabia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. A simultaneous rising took place, and Ashurbanipal seemed likely to lose his Empire. He invaded Baby-lonia. In Elam, Tammaritu put to death IJmmanigash and all his family, but was defeated by Indabigash, and had to flee to Assyria. Ashurbanipal defeated his opponents and laid siege to Babylon, Borsippa, Sippara, and Cutha, capturing one after the other. Shamash-shum-ukin burnt his palace over his head, and Babylon surrendered b.c. 648. The conquest of S. Babylonia and Chaldaea was followed by campaigns against Elam, culminating in the capture of Susa and its destruction. Ashurbanipal then punished the Arabians, who, in his enforced absence in Babylonia, had invaded Palestine, overrun Edom and Moab, and threatened Damascus. The inscriptions, however, do not come down below B.C. 646, and the last years of the reign are in obscurity. Ashurbanipal appears to have reigned over Babylon as Kandalanu.

(p) Fall of Nineveh. — Ashurbanipal was succeeded by Ashur-etil-ilani, his son, who was succeeded by Sin-shar-ishkun, his brother. We do not know how long they reigned, but in b.c. 606 the Medes captured Nineveh and took the N. half of the Empire, while Nabopolassar, king of Babylon (since b.c 626?), took Babylonia.

II. Babylonia.— 1. History.— The history of Baby.

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