ANCIENT HISTORY

By: Edith Shelton

Sargon II (722-705 B.C.)

• Claimed conquest of Samaria, which was practically completed by Shalmaneser V in 722 B.C.
• 717 B.C. Carchemish, last of Hittite states on upper Euphrates fell to Sargon.
• 721 B.C. Chaldean kinglet Marduk-apal-iddina (Merodach Baladan) made himself king of Babylon --
• Sargon tried to take over and failed;
  ten years later (711 or 710) he "liberated" Babylon from Chaldeans and called himself "governor of Babylon."
• Did much building in Ashur, Nineveh, Babylon, Dur-Sharrukin -- magnificient palace, walls with bas-reliefs.
• Sargon died on a military expedition.

• Son of Sargon, gifted military commander, arrogant, created hatred, alienated from own sons.
• Had revolted against his father; is killed by his sons.
• 701 B.C. -- crushed Phoenicean-Philistine alliance, occupied all of Judah except Jerusalem. Deliverance of Jerusalem in Kings and Isaiah.
• Much trouble with Babylon. Merodach Baladan back on throne for 6 months sometime during first years of Sennacherib.
• In 689 B.C. Sennacherib finally conquered Babylon and leveled it, deporting inhabitants, water channeled over ruins.
• Little known of his last years.

• Son of Sennacherib.
• Conquered Egypt, but weakened defenses of north border.
• Rebuilt Babylon, temples, etc. and returned the citizens.
• 673 B.C. - first expedition to Egypt was stopped.
• Second expedition - named younger son, Ashurbanipal, coregent and heir -- Babylon to oldest son -- grave political mistake -- Memphis fell.
• On way to subdue revolt in Egypt, Esarhaddon died Oct 669 B.C.

• Son of Esarhaddon - last of great Assyrian kings, commander, statesman, hunter, art collector, lover of antiquities, library in Nineveh 20,000 tablets, main works of Assyrian-Babylonian lit., but ruthless in war.
• In Egypt - father's expedition carried to triumphant conclusion by commander Shanabusher.
• 7 years later Egypt revolted - Assyrians returned - Thebes fell 663 B.C.
• Tyre conquered after 10 year siege - Assyria attained height of its power.
• Revolt of brother in Babylon with coalition of Assyrian enemies 652 B.C. -- civil war 4 years, weakened Assyria -- Babylon subdued -- Kandalanu put on throne. Elam invaded and conquered. Susa destroyed 639 B.C.
• No effort to re-take Egypt.
• Revenues and manpower no longer equal to maintaining empire.
• Date of death uncertain.

• Son of Ashurbanipal - Able to retain Babylon and repel Medes.
• 627 B.C. Usurper Sin-shum-lishir took throne, but he was deposed by another son of Ashurbanipal.

• Able to subdue Babylonian revolt under Kandalanu.
• Chaldean Nabopolassar claimed throne of Babylon - his authority undisputed after 625 B.C.
• Power of Media increasing -- Assyria, Scythia and Egypt make alliance.
• Cyaxares the Mede defeats Scythians 616 B.C. while Nabopolassar defeats Assyrians.
• Egypt assisted Assyria, but in 614 B.C. Cyaxares conquered Ashur, Assyrian king died.
• July 612 B.C. Nineveh fell to Medes and Chaldeans -- Nineveh, Kalah, all important cities razed.

Nabopolassar (625-605 B.C.)

• "Son of nobody" - claimed kingship after Kandalanu.
• Revolted against Assyria and was put down.
• Made treaty with Cyaxares, king of Medes -- Media would take northern Mesopotamia, leaving Nabopolassar free in middle Babylon and Syria.
• Participated with Media in destroying Assyria.
• Sent general and crown-prince, his son, Nebuchadnezzar, to gain Syria after conquest of Harran.
• 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt at Carchemish.
• Second victory at Hamath on Orontes -- gained control of Syria and Palestine to border of Egypt.
  (This must include siege of Jerusalem in Daniel 1:1)
• Nabopolassar restored sanctuaries of Babylon, built a bridge over the Euphrates, connecting the two sections of the city

• Greatest of kings of Babylon -- much building activity.
• 601 B.C. battle with Pharaoh Amasis.
• 597 B.C. stormed Jerusalem, took Jehoiachin & his mother hostages.
  9 years later Zedekiah revolted, relying on support of Egypt.
• 586 B.C. Jerusalem fell after siege of 18 mo.
• 586 B.C. Nabonidus -- high official, later king -- negotiated a peace treaty between Media and Lydia.
• Tyre fell after siege of 13 years - spoils not worth the trouble.
• Babylon -- area of six square miles.

• Son of Nebuchadnezzar, little known of him.
• Freed Jehoiachin from prison after 37 years.
• Driven from throne by brother-in-law.

• Brother-in-law of Amel-Marduk.
• Directed military campaign against Taurus and defeated.
• Rising power of Persia a threat.
• Rift between priests of Marduk in Babylon and Aramaic priests of Sin, the moon god, at Ur and Harran.
• Died after short reign.

• Son of Neriglissar.
• Priests of moon god, Sin, had him murdered and put Nabonidus on throne.

• Native of Harran; mother a high-priestess of Sin;
  devoted to moon god; built temples in Ur and Harran.
  (Not surprising that priests of Marduk greeted Cyrus as a liberator.)
• No revolution during time of Nabonidus.
• Supported Cyrus in his struggle against Astyages of Media 550/549.
• Fortified Harran as emergency capital for future confrontation with Cyrus.
• Alliance with Arabs -- needed interest in trade routes to south and west -- couldn't go east because of Persia;
  garrisons and colonies as far south as Medina on Red Sea.
• Made son Bel-shar-urur (Belshazzar) co-regent in Babylon.
• Omissions of New Year festival caused discontent; Celebration in 539 B.C. but too late.
• A general of Babylon joined Cyrus.
• Battle at Sippar, Gobryas forced crossing of Tigris.
• Oct 12, 539 B.C. (2 days after above) Persians entered Babylon without fighting: Nabonidus taken prisoner; Belshazzar apparently killed in a palace skirmish.
• Oct. 29 Cyrus entered Babylon.

Medes and Persians were part of an Aryan invasion from beyond the Caucasus Mts. in middle of 2nd millenium B.C. Medes first to attain political organization -- about 700 B.C.

Deioces

• First king according to Herodotus.
• Founded capital at Ecbatana.

• Son of Deioces;
• active against Assyrians at time of Esarhaddon.
• Scythian invasion stopped Median growth 653-625 B.C.

• Took Media from Barbarians.
• Attacked Assyria - captured Ashur 614 B.C.
• 612 B.C. - with Nabopolassar captured Nineveh.
• Crossed River Halys, almost crushing Lydia; peace treaty negotiated by Nabonidus.

• Great wealth, interest in war declined.
• Had held Persia as vassal, but tables turned.
• As long as Nebuchadnezzar lived (562 B.C.) peaceful relations between Media and Babylon; under weak successors of Neb., Medes and Persians encroached.
• Daughter of Astyages married Cambyses I of Persia; son Cyrus the Great conquered Media and Babylon.

Teispes (675-640 B.C.)

• Son of Achaemenes.
• First Persian king to distinguish himself.
• Two sons - Cyrus I, the older, inherited Parsumash, and
  Ariaramnes, inherited Persia proper.
• Cyaxares defeated Scythians and may have annexed Persia.
• Cyrus I left in control of Parsumash as vassal king.

• Second son of Cyrus I - brother carried off to Nineveh as hostage by Ashurbanipal.
• Married daughter of Astyages of Media.

• Grandson of Astyages of Media - son of Cambyses I.
• First occupied throne as vassal to Astyages.
• After six years rebelled - Media surrendered in one battle; Median army rebelled, handed their king to Cyrus.
• Crossed Halys River, defeated Lydian army, occupied Sardis, its capital, 546 B.C. Croesus, its king, treated with leniency.
• 539 B.C. entered Babylon.
• Media, Assyria, Lydia and Babylon incorporated into Persian empire.
• 539 B.C. decree for Jewish captives to return to Jerusalem to rebuild temple.
• Died in battle against barbarians on northern boundary.

• Put his brother Smerdis to death;
• Defeated Egyptians, occupied Memphis.
• Killed wife, shot son with arrow, buried 12 Persian nobles alive -- outbursts of insanity.
• On way to Persia to subdue revolt died or committed suicide.

• Devotee of the early Magian faith;
  resolved to destroy Zoroastrianism, official religion of Persia.
• Killed by Darius.

• Claimed to be descendant of Teispes and Ariaramnes.
• Behistun inscription in Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadean tells of long struggle to gain control.
• Took Babylon after long siege.
• Great administrator - postal service.
• 36 years consolidating his empire --
  borders of Libya and Aegean coast in west to River Indus in east.
  Black and Caspian Seas to north, Indian Ocean on south.
• When Greek cities revolted, Darius declared war on Greece.
• 492 B.C. Persian fleet wrecked in storm off Mt. Athos.
• Second expedition landed at Marathon, defeated by Athenians under Miltiades in 490 B.C.
• While preparing for 3rd attack, Darius died.

• Son of Darius - Ahasuerus of Ezra 4:6.
• 484 B.C. reconquered Egypt which had revolted - made a satrapy.
• 482 B.C. crushed a revolt in Babylon -- Babylonia incorporated into satrapy of Assyria.
• Campaigns against Greece a total failure:
  480 B.C. - naval battle of Salamis - navy routed,
  479 B.C. - battle of Platea - army defeated,
  479 B.C. - another Persian fleet destroyed.
• Much building in Persepolis.
• Assassinated in bed chamber by group of conspirators.

• Had to put down revolts in Bactria and Egypt.
• Time of Herodotus, visited Egypt then
  7th year -- decree in Ezra 7 authorizing Jews to return under Ezra.
• 20th year (13 years later) Nehemiah, cup-bearer, sent as governor of Judah to rebuild walls.
• After 445 B.C. Thrace lost, Greek fleet in Mediterranean, Persian power waning.

• Overcome by a half-brother, who was in turn defeated by another half-brother, Vahuka, or Ochos, who assumed title of Darius.

• Many revolts.
• Jewish colony in Egypt (408) wrote to Bigwai, Persian governor, for Jerusalem for aid to get permission from Persia to rebuild their temple.
• 404 B.C. Egypt regained independence.

• Oldest son of Darius II.
• Opposed by brother Cyrus who should have been king under law.
• Cyrus killed at battle of Cunaxa (401). Xenophon wrote of retreat of Greeks (mercenaries hired by Cyrus) "Anabasis"
• 374 B.C. Attempt to reconquer Egypt failed.

• Original name Vahuka. Got rid of rivals. Killed 80 brothers.
• Put down revolts in Asia Minor, Cyprus, Phoenicia.
• 342 B.C. reconquered Egypt.
• Bagoas poisoned king and older sons. Spared younger Arses.

• Not a willing puppet; also killed.

• Put on throne by Bagoas, had Bagoas poisoned.
• Conquest of Persia by Alexander - began 334 B.C.;
  battles of Granicus, Issus, Arbella.
• Darius fled, murdered by own officers.
• Whole Persian empire fell under control of Alexander.

Persian empire was largest to that time. Main capital at Susa; summer (?) palace at Persepolis (Greek name - Persian name Parsa).
Council of seven -- high officials included cup-bearer (Nehemiah's position).
Aramaic common language through empire.
Persian in cuneiform script became limited to monument inscriptions.
20 satrapies, under satrap, who was immediate representative of king.
Unity -

• uniform jurisprudence,
• net of royal roads,
• postal system for govt. and business,
• uniform currency,
• universal use of Aramaic language and script;

Religion -- Zoroaster is Greek form of Zarathustra, prophet of 7th century B.C. -- writings of faith Avesta dates from 200 B.C.

• Ahuramazda, good god - monotheism.
• Zoroaster himself unable to explain evil; dualism arose later.
  Ahriman -- evil spirit.
• Zoroaster is prophet, not law giver;
• real life beyond grave;
  glorious consummation -- total triumph of Ahuramazda;
• ethical life; brotherhood of man; kindness to animals.