Fall of Nineveh - End of the Assyrian Empire
The fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE was one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in ancient history. For two centuries, the Neo-Assyrian Empire had been the terror of the ancient Near East. Nineveh was one of the largest and most magnificent cities in the world, with the great library of Ashurbanipal containing tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets. Assyria's strength concealed fundamental vulnerabilities: too large to defend efficiently, its brutal methods generated persistent resistance. The death of Ashurbanipal around 627 BCE triggered a succession crisis. Nabopolassar, a Chaldean chieftain, declared Babylonian independence in 626 BCE. The alliance of Nabopolassar with the Median king Cyaxares proved decisive. The combined army besieged Nineveh for three months. The city was comprehensively sacked and burned. The Biblical Book of Nahum exulted: Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her?
- Year: 612 BCE
- Category: Military
