The destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile were a great catastrophe in the history of the Jewish Nation. What really happened during that dark, fateful age, and how did new opportunities arise from the ashes?
Babylonian-Egyptian struggle
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来自 Tel Aviv University 的课程
The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem
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从本节课中
Introduction to geopolitics and geography of the Ancient Near East
Welcome to the first module of "The Fall and Rise of Jerusalem"! In this module you will be introduced to the geopolitical reality of the time of the Assyrian empire, followed by the Neo-Babylonian. We hope you'll find the videos informative and interesting. We encourage you to use the discussion forums in order to raise any questions or thoughts you might have after watching the videos.
与讲师见面
Professor Oded Lipschits, Ph.D.Director, Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archaeology
Jacob M. Alkow Department of Archaeology and Near Eastern Cultures
A reconstruction of the historical moves of this period of time is made primarily
on the basis of the Babylonian chronicles and
the information in two books of the Old Testament, Kings and Jeremiah.
The match between all these sources is fantastic and exciting,
illuminating the history of Babylon on the one hand, and
the history of Judah on the other hand.
The importance of the events that took place in 610 and 609 BCE, which
led to the disappearance of Assyria, was as clear to Egypt as to the Babylonians.
This is evidenced of the efforts invested by both
parties to seize control of Harran.
There were two consecutive campaigns by Nabopolassar with the objective
of eliminating Assyria and establishing his rule over Harran and its environs.
At the same time,
there were two consecutive campaigns by the Egyptians headed by Necho the second.
With the objective of offering aid to Syria and
preventing the Babylonian takeover of the city.
We also have information about Necho's efforts
to establish Egyptian mastery over Assyria and the land of Israel.
Riblah became a major Egyptian center.
And from there, Necho probably made arrangements for
Egyptian rule in the central and northern Syria.
One must assume that at the same time,
he also made similar arrangements in the other areas under his control.
This helps us to understand the arrangements made in Judah
after the killing of King Josiah in Megiddo.
When the Egyptians came to the aid of a Syria only few weeks before
the battle at Harran, probably at the end of May or early June 609 BCE.
After the end of the battle, as part of his effort to establish his
rule west of the Euphrates, Necho deported Jehoahaz,
son of Josiah, who, according to the second book of Kings, chapter 23,
verse 34, had been appointed in Judah without Necho's approval.
According to verses 35 and 36 of the same chapter, Necho then appointed Jehoiakim
who was Jehoahaz's older brother, and collected from Judah heavy tribute.
We will deal with these events in Judah in the next part of this course.
Parallel to the stages during which Egypt established itself in Syria and
the land of Israel, the Babylonians established their control along
the southern border of the kingdom of Urartu in a series of three campaigns.
In September 609 BCE, in the fall of the 70th year of his reign,
immediately after the withdrawal of Syria Egyptian forces from Harran,
Nabopalassar continued northward toward the border of Urartu.
Apparently his aim was to establish his rule and
prevent the mountain inhabitants from invading the areas close to the Euphrates,
which Assyria had previously ruled.
An additional campaign to the same area was conducted in the following year.
From August or September and until December 608 DCE,
Nabopalassar set out at the head of an army along the banks of the Tigris and
established its rule over the easternmost sections of the hilly regions.
The third campaign in this series took place between the months of Simano,
Sivan in Hebrew, and Ululu, Elul in Hebrew, in the king's 19th year,
from May to August 607 BC.
The king and his army set out again along with his heir,
Nebuchadnezzar, at the head of his own army.
I have to admit it, I like the name Nebuchadnezzar very much.
It had three elements.
Nabu, Nabu is a god, the son of Marduk, the main god of Babylon.
Kudduri is my first born son in Akkadian.
And Uzzur is to keep, to guard.
So the meaning of the name is please god, guard my first-born son.
Nabopalassar returned to Babylon in the middle of a campaign, and
left the waging of the Baal, to his son.
It was the first time that the future king had to manage alone with
the Babylonian army in far and complicated areas, as a preparation and
maybe also as a kind of a test for the time that he will rule the empire.
Nebuchadnezzar's return to Babylon in the month of Ululu enabled
Nabopalassar to muster his troops in the month of Tasritu, Tishrei in Hebrew.
Around October 607 BCE, and to set out for the middle Euphrates
as part of the beginning of the direct struggle against Egypt.
It's interesting to mention that in the 19th year of Nabopolassar's rule
was an intercalation, year and there were two months of Ululu.
So that between the return of Nebuchadrezzar in the month of Ululu and
the departure of Nabopolassar in Tasritu, at least one full month had elapsed.
According to the description in the Babylonian Chronicle,
the Babylonian army crossed the Euphrates and laid siege to the city of Kimuhu.
The siege remained in place until the months Kislimu,
Kislev around December 607 BCE.
When the city was conquered and a garrison was left there.
The Babylonian objective was apparently to establish a foothold
west of the Euphrates as the beginning of a future activity beyond the river,
and to threaten the Egyptian garrison that was stationed at Carchemish.
The Babylonian threat was clear, and
the Egyptian reaction was not long to in coming.
During the spring or early summer of 606 BCE,
an Egyptian force set out for Kimuhu and laid siege to it for four months.
According to the Babylonian chronicle, the city fell to the Egyptians, and
the Babylonian garrison that had been there was defeated.
Nabopolassar didn't come to aid of his army, perhaps because of
the great danger involved both in crossing the Euphrates with a large army, and
in a battle with Egyptians who were located on the western bank of the river.
It was only in the month of Tasritu, Tishrei, September or October 606 BCE,
that the Babylonians set out again toward the middle Euphrates and
camped in the city of Quramati, which is south of Kimuhu and east of the Euphrates.
From there, the Babylonian forces set out to conquer the cities of Sunadiri,
Elammu, and Dahammu, which are west of the Euphrates, apparently with
a plan of creating an alternate bridge head to cross over the river.
The conquest of these cities ended in the month of Sabatu, Shabbat, around January,
February 605 BCE, when Nabopolassar returned to Babylon.
But a short time later, between mid February and mid April, the Egyptian
army left Carchemish, crossed the river and conquered the city of Quramati.
The Babylonian army was forced to retreat, and the Egyptians established
an outpost east of the Euphrates, which could serve as a launching base for
a future offensive against the territories controlled by Babylonian in that region.
The event of summer 605 BCE decided the outcome of the battle.
The Egyptian threat forced the Babylonians to concentrate all of their
power to the decisive struggle, which occurred at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
who set out at the head of the Babylonian army.
His target was Carchemish,
the chief Egyptian stronghold on the banks of the Euphrates.
Nebuchadnezzar and his army crossed the Euphrates and moved to the west
bank of the river at an unknown location, apparently, close to Carchemish.
In the battle against the Egyptian army, they won a decisive victory.
According to the Babylonian Chronicles, and I'm quoting, in the open field they
fought with each other, and the Egyptian army withdrew before Nebuchandrezzar,
he accomplished their defeat and beat them.
It is not clear whether Necho the second himself was in Carchemish at the time.
In the Babylonian Chronicle there is no mention of it.
Also, according to the prophesy in in
Jeremiah, chapter 46 verse two,
it is not clear and I'm reading [FOREIGN]
Carchemish was captured, and the remnants of the Egyptian withdrew to
the province of Hamat, where they were overtaken by the Babylonians,
who dealt the the Egyptians a mortal blow.
According to the Babylonian Chronicle, and I am quoting again,
in the district of Hamath, the Babylonian troops overtook and
defeated them so that not a single man escaped to his own country.
Within a short time, the die had been cast.
From then on, it was clear that the Babylonians were destined to
rule through Syria and the land of Israel.
The Egyptians had to make haste to defend the borders of their own kingdom.
The deaths of king Nabopolassar on the eight of the month of Abu, Av,
of that year, August 15th or 16th 605 BCE,
after more than 20 years of rule, symbolize the ending of
an era of the establishment of the Babylonian empire.
Nebuchadnezzar's rise to power, on the first of the month of Ululu,
September 607, 605, and his first two years of reign,
were marked by the Babylonian takeover of all the area of Ghatulent.
The struggle of the titans over control of the lands of the Assyrian empire
had been decided.
Babylon won a resounding victory, and
Egypt was driving back from all of its holdings in Asia.
However, the struggle didn't end, and as Babylon and Egypt understood it,
the kingdoms in the region among than Judah understood it as well.
This was the beginning of a period of great uncertainty, which affected
the fate of the region and shaped the events that continued to take place there.
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