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Babylonian Empire
The Neo-Babylonian Empire (Wikipedia), as it appears in Old Testament history, conquered the last stronghold of the Assyrian Empire at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. It then lasted until 539 BC when it was in turn conquered by Cyrus the Persian. At its height, this empire covered Eastern Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel (including Judah), and northern Arabia.
The Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, conquered the southern kingdom of Judah in 597 BC, deporting King Jehoiacin and some of the young nobility to Babylon. Daniel, his companions, and the Prophet Ezekiel were among them. Jehoiachin's great-uncle Zedekiah was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. Several years later, after Zedekiah rebelled, Jerusalem was again besieged. When it fell in 586 BC, the city was destroyed, the first temple was burned to the ground, and most of the remaining Jews were deported to Babylon. This is referred to as the Babylonian Exile.
After Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he allowed many of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and commissioned a rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple, which began in about 537 BC.
After Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he allowed many of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and commissioned a rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple, which began in about 537 BC.
Place tags: Babylonian Empire, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Israel, Arabia