Sennacherib Destroys Babylon
Sennacherib's destruction of Babylon in 689 BCE was an act so extraordinary that it generated controversy and theological crisis even within the Assyrian royal family. Babylon had repeatedly rebelled, sometimes in alliance with the Elamites. After suppressing multiple revolts, Sennacherib undertook a systematic destruction of the city. The theological problem was acute: Babylon was the city of Marduk, the chief god of the Mesopotamian pantheon. Sennacherib's son and successor, Esarhaddon, chose to rebuild Babylon and restore its temples, explicitly presenting the reconstruction as divine will. Sennacherib is also famous in Biblical tradition for his siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE, described in 2 Kings 18-19. This event left a profound mark on Israelite theology and contributed to the idea of Jerusalem's inviolability.
- Year: 689 BCE
- Category: Military
