Neo-Babylonians
As the Assyrians got weaker,
pieces of their empire began to break off. People saw their chance to
become independent and grabbed it. Egypt
became independent again, and so did Israel
for a while.
But then in the 600's BC a new empire started
up, centered on the old Mesopotamian capital
at Babylon. Under King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians reconquered most
of the old Assyrian empire. The Babylonians
conquered Israel, and took many of the Jewish leaders and their families
back to Babylon with them to keep them from revolting again. People
call this the Babylonian
Captivity.
The Babylonians also did a lot of new building in Babylon during their
time in power. But it didn't last very long. In 539 BC,
the Persians, under their King Cyrus, conquered
Babylon and ended the Babylonian Empire.
Ishtar Gate, Babylon |
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To find out more about the Neo-Babylonians, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Find Out About Mesopotamia: What Life Was Like in Ancient Sumer, Babylon and Assyria, by Lorna Oakes (2004).
The Babylonians: An Introduction, by Gwendolyn Leick (2002). Covers the whole history of the city of Babylon, from Hammurabi down to Alexander.
Babylon, by Joan Oates (1986).
Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture, by William H. Stiebing (2002). Expensive, and hard to read, but it's a good up to date account.
