A BRIEF HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE POWERS OF MESOPOTAMIA

(using dates based primarily on John Bright’s A History of Israel, p. 462ff.)

I. Assyrian Empire (Gen.10:11)

A. Religion and culture were greatly
influenced by the Sumerian/Babylonian Empire.

B. Tentative list of rulers
and approximate dates:

1.	1354-1318	— Asshur-Uballit I:
	(a) conquered the Hittite city of Carchemish (b) began to remove Hittite influence and allowed Assyria to develop
2.	1297-1266	— Adad-Nirari I (powerful king)
3.	1265-1235	— Shalmaneser I (powerful king)
4.	1234-1197	— Tukulti-Ninurta I
		— first conquest of Babylonian empire to the south
5.	1118-1078	— Tiglath-Pileser I
		— Assyria becomes a major power in Mesopotamia
6.	1012-972	— Ashur-Rabi II
7.	972-967	— Ashur-Resh-Isui II
8.	966-934	— Tiglath-Pileser II
9.	934-912	— Ashur-Dan II
10.	912-890	— Adad-Nirari II
11.	890-884	— Tukulti-Ninurta II
12.	883-859	— Asshur-Nasir-Apal II
13.	859-824	— Shalmaneser III
		— Battle of Qarqar in 853
14.	824-811	— Shamashi-Adad V
15.	811-783	— Adad-Nirari III
16.	781-772	— Shalmaneser IV
17.	772-754	— Ashur-Dan III
18.	754-745	— Ashur-Nirari V
19.	745-727	— Tiglath-Pileser III:

a. called by his Babylonian throne name, Pul, in II
Kings 15:19

b. very powerful king

c. started the policy of deporting
conquered peoples

d. In 735 B.C..
there was the formation of the “Syro-Ephramatic League” which was an attempt to
unify all the available military resources of the transjordan nations from the
head waters of the Euphrates to Egypt for the purpose of neutralizing the rising
military power of Assyria. King Ahaz of Judah refused to join and was invaded by
Israel and Syria. He wrote to Tiglath-Pileser III for help against the advise of
Isaiah (cf. 2
Kgs. 16; Isa. 7-12).

e. In 732 Tiglath-Pileser III invades and conquers Syria
and Israel and places a vassal king on the throne of Israel, Hoshea (732-722).
Thousands of Jews from the Northern Kingdom were exiled to Media (cf. II Kings
15).

20. 727-722 — Shalmaneser V

a. Hoshea forms an alliance with Egypt
and is invaded by Assyria (cf. II Kgs.17)

b. besieged Samaria in 724 B.C.

21. 722-705 — Sargon II:

a. After a three year siege started by
Shalmaneser V, his successor Sargon II conquers the capital of Israel, Samaria.
Over 27,000 are deported to Media.

b. The Hittite empire
is also conquered

c. In 714-711 another coalition of transjordan nations and Egypt rebelled
against Assyria. This coalition is known as “the Ashdad Rebellion.” Even
Hezekiah of Judah originally was involved. Assyria invaded and destroyed several
Philistine cities.

22. 705-681 — Sennacherib:

a. In 705 another coalition
of transjordan nations and Egypt rebelled after the death of Sargon II. Hezekiah
fully supported this rebellion. Sennacherib invaded in 701. The rebellion was
crushed but Jerusalem was spared by an act of God (cf. Isa. 36-39 and II Kgs.
18-19).

b. Sennacherib also put down the rebellion in Elam and Babylon.

23. 681-669 — Esarhaddon:

a. first Assyrian ruler to attack and conquer Egypt

b. had great sympathy with Babylon and rebuilt its capital city

24. 669-633 —
Ashurbanipal:

a. also called Osnappar in Ezra 4:10

b. His brother
Shamash-shum-ukin was made king of Babylon (later demoted to viceroy). This
brought several years of peace between Assyria and Babylon, but there was an
undercurrent of independence which broke out in 652 led by his brother (who had
been demoted to Viceroy).

c. fall of Thebes, 663 B.C.

d. defeated Elam,
653, 645 B.C.

25. 633-629 — Asshur-Etil-Ilani

26. 629-612 —
Sin-Shar-Ishkun

27. 612-609 — Asshur-Uballit II:

a. enthroned king in
exile in Haran

b. the fall of Assher in 614 B.C. and Nineveh in 612 B.C.

II. Neo-Babylon Empire:

A. 703-? — Merodach-Baladan

— Started
several revolts against Assyrian rule

B. 652 Shamash-shum-ukin:

1.
Esarhaddon’s son and Asshurbanipal’s brother

2. he started a revolt against
Assyria but was defeated

C. 626-605 Nabopolassar:

1. was the first
monarch of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

2. he attacked Assyria from the south
while Cyaxares of Media attacked from the northeast

3. the old Assyrian
capital of Asshur fell in 614 and the powerful new capital of Ninevah fell in
612 B.C.

4. the remnant of the Assyrian army retreated to Haran. They even
installed a king.

5. In 608 Pharaoh Necho II (cf. II Kings 23:29) marched
north to help the remnant of the Assyrian army for the purpose of forming a
buffer zone against the rising power of Babylon. Josiah, the godly king of Judah
(cf. II Kings 23), opposed the movement of the Egyptian army through Palestine.
There was a minor skirmish at Megiddo. Josiah was wounded and died (II Kgs.
23:29-30). His son, Jehoakaz, was made king. Pharaoh Necho II arrived too late
to stop the destruction of the Assyrian forces at Haran. He engaged the
Babylonian forces commanded by the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar II and was
soundly defeated in 605 B.C. at Carchemesh on the Euphrates River.

On his way
back to Egypt Pharaoh Necho stopped at Jerusalem and sacked the city. He
replaced and deported Jehoahaz after only three months. He put another son of
Josiah, Jehoiakim, on the throne (cf. II Kings 23:31-35).

6. Nebuchadnezzar
II chased the Egyptian army south through Palestine but he received word of his
father’s death and returned to Babylon to be crowned. Later, in the same year,
he returned to Palestine. He left Jehoiakim on the throne of Judah but exiled
several thousand of the leading citizens and several members of the royal
family. Daniel and his friends were part of this deportation.

D. 605-562 — Nebuchadnezzar II:

1. From 597-538 Babylon was in complete control of Palestine

2. In 597 another deportation from Jerusalem occurred because of
Jehoakim’s alliance with Egypt (II Kings 24). He died before the arrival of
Nebuchadnezzar II. His son Jehoiachin was only king for three months when he was
exiled to Babylon. Ten thousand citizens, including Ezekiel, were resettled
close to the City of Babylon by the Canal Kebar.

3. In 586, after continued
flirtation with Egypt, the City of Jerusalem was completely destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar (II Kgs. 25) and a mass deportation occurred. Zedekiah, who
replaced Jehoiachin, was exiled and Gedaliah was appointed governor.

4.
Gedaliah was killed by Jewish renegade military forces. These forces fled to
Egypt and forced Jeremiah to go with them. Nebuchadnezzar invaded a fourth time
(605, 596, 586, 582) and deported all remaining Jews that he could find.

E. 562-560 — Evil-merodach, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, was also known as Amel-Marduk
(Akkadian, “Man of Marduk”)

— He released
Jehoiachin from prison but he had to remain in Babylon (cf. 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jer. 52:31).

F. 560-556 —
Neriglissar

— He assassinated Evil-merodach, who was his brother-in-law

—
He was previously Nebuchadnezzar’s general who destroyed Jerusalem (cf. Jer.
39:3,13)

G. 556 — Labaski-Marduk

— He was Neriglissar’s son who assumed kingship as
a boy, but was assassinated after only nine months (Berossos)

H. 556-539 — Nabonidus (Akkadian, “Nebo is exalted”):

1.
Nabonidus was not related to the royal house so he possibly(Herodotus) married a
daughter(Nitocris) of Nebuchadnezzar(Nitocris was one of his Egyptian wives).

2. He spent most of the time building a temple to the moon god “Sin” in Tema. He
was the son of the high priestess of this goddess. This earned him the enmity of
the priests of Marduk, chief god of Babylon.

3. He spent most of his time
trying to put down revolts (in Syria and north Africa) and stabilize the
kingdom.

4. He moved to Tema and left the affairs of state to his son,
Belshazzar, in the capital, Babylon (cf. Dan.5).

I. ? – 539
— Belshazzar
(co-reign)

— The city of Babylon fell very quickly to the Persian Army under
Gobryas of Gutium by diverting the waters of the Euphrates and entering the city
unopposed. The priests and people of the city saw the Persians as liberators and
restorers of Marduk. Gobryas was made Governor of Babylon by Cyrus II. Gobryas
may have been the Darius the Mede of Dan. 5:31; 6:1. “”Darius”” means “”royal
one.””

III. Medio-Persian Empire: Survey of the Rise of Cyrus II (Isa.
41:2,25;44:28-45:7; 46:11; 48:15):

A. 625-585 — Cyaxares was the king of
Media who helped Babylon defeat Assyria.

B. 585-550 — Astyages was king of
Media (capital was Ecbatana). Cyrus II was his grandson by CambysesI (600-559,
Persian) and Mandane (daughter of Astyages, Median).

C. 550-530 — Cyrus II of
Ansham (eastern Elam) was a vassal king who revolted:

1.
Nabonidus, the Babylonian king, supported Cyrus

2. Astyages’ general, Harpagus, led his
army to join Cyrus’ revolt

3. Cyrus II dethroned Astyages

4. Nabonidus,
in order to restore a balance of power, made an alliance with:

a. Egypt

b.
Croesus, King of Lydia (Asia Minor)

5. 547 — Cyrus II marched against Sardis
(capital of Lydia) and it fell in 546 B.C.

6. 539 — In mid-October the
general Ugbaru and Gobryas, both of Gutium, with Cyrus’ army, took Babylon
without resistance. Ugbaru was made governor, but died of war wounds within
weeks, Gobryas was then made governor of Babylon.

7. 539 — In late October
Cyrus II “the Great” personally entered as liberator. His policy of kindness to
national groups reversed years of deportation as a national policy.

8. 538 —
Jews and others (cf. the Cyrus Cylinder) were allowed to return home and rebuild
their native temples (cf. II Chr. 36:22,23; Ezra 1:1-4). He also restored the
vessels from YHWH’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Marduk’s temple in
Babylon (cf. Ezra 1:7-11; 6:5).

9. 530 — Cyrus’ son, Cambyses II, succeeded
him briefly as co-regent, but later the same year Cyrus died while in a military
campaign.

D. 530-522 — reign of Cambyses II

1. added Egyptian empire in
525 B.C. to the Medo-Persian Empire;

2. he had a short reign:

a. some say
he committed suicide;

b. Heroditus said he cut himself with his own sword
while mounting his horse and died of the resulting infection.

3. brief
usurpation of the throne by Pseudo-Smerdis (Gaumata) – 522

E. 522-486 —
Darius I (Hystapes) came to rule

1. He was not of the royal line but a
military general.

2. He organized the Persian Empire using Cyrus’ plans for
Satraps (cf. Ezra 5-6; also during Haggai’s and Zechariah’s time).

3. He set
up coinage like Lydia.

4. He attempted to invade Greece, but was repulsed.

F. 486-465 — Reign of Xerxes I:

1. put down Egyptian revolt

2. intended to
invade Greece and fulfill Persian dream but was defeated in the battle of
Thermopoly in 480 B.C. and Salamis in 479 B.C.

3. Esther’s husband, who is
called Ahasuerus in the Bible, was assassinated in 465 B.C.

G. 465-424 —
Artaxerxes I (Longimanus) reigned (cf Ezra 7-10; Nehemiah; Malachi):

1.
Greeks continued to advance until confronted with the Pelopanisian Civil Wars

2. Greece divides (Athenian – Pelopanisian)

3. Greek civil wars lasted about
20 years

4. during this period the Jewish community is strengthened

5.
brief reign of Xerxes II and Sekydianos – 423

H. 423-404 — Darius II (Nothos)
reigned

I. 404-358 — Artaxerxes II (Mnemon) reigned

J. 358-338 —
Artaxerxes III (Ochos)reigned

K. 338-336 — Arses reigned

L. 336-331 —
Darius III (Codomannus)reigned until the Battle of Issus 331 and was defeated by
Greece

IV. Survey of Egypt:

A. Hyksos (Shepherd Kings – Semitic
rulers)-1720/10-1550

B. 18th Dynasty (1570-1310):

1. 1570-1546 — Amosis

a. made Thebes the capital

b. invaded southern Canaan

2. 1546-1525 —
Amenophis I (Amenhotep I)

3. 1525-1494 — Thutmosis I

4. 1494-1490 —
Thutmosis II – married Thutmosis I’s daughter, Hatshepsut

5. 1490-1435 —
Thutmosis III (nephew of Hatshepsut)

6. 1435-1414 — Amenophis II (Amenhotep
II)

7. 1414-1406 — Thutmosis IV

8. 1406-1370 — Amenophis III (Amenhotep
III)

9. 1370-1353 — Amenophis IV (Akhenaten)

a. worshiped the Sun, Aten

b. instituted a form of high-god worship (monotheism)

c. Tel-El-Amarna
letters are in this period

10. ? Smenhkare

11. ? Tutankhamun (Tutankhaten)

12. ? Ay (Aye-Eye)

13. 1340-1310 — Haremhab

C. 19th Dynasty (1310-1200):

1. ? Rameses I (Ramses)

2. 1309-1290 — Seti I (Sethos)

3. 1290-1224 —
Ramesses II (Ramses II)

a. from archaeological evidence most likely Pharaoh
of the exodus

b. built the cities of Avaris, Pithom and Ramses by Habaru
(possibly Semites or Hebrew) slaves

4. 1224-1216 — Marniptah (Merenptah)

5. ? Amenmesses

6. ? Seti II

7. ? Siptah

8. ? Tewosret

D. 20th
Dynasty (1180-1065)

1. 1175-1144 — Rameses III

2. 1144-1065 — Rameses IV —
XI

E. 21st Dynasty (1065-935):

1. ? Smendes

2. ? Herihor

F. 22nd
Dynasty (935-725 — Libyan):

1. 935-914 — Shishak (Shosenk I or Sheshong I)

a. protected Jeroboam I until Solomon’s death

b. conquered Palestine about
925 (cf. I Kgs. 14-25; II Chr. 12)

2. 914-874 — Osorkon I

3. ? Osorkon II

4. ? Shoshnek II G. 23rd Dynasty (759-715 — Libyan)

H. 24th Dynasty (725-709)

I. 25th Dynasty (716/15-663 — Ethiopian/Nubian):

1. 710/09-696/95 — Shabako
(Shabaku)

2. 696/95-685/84 — Shebteko (Shebitku)

3. 690/689, 685/84-664 —
Tirhakah (Taharqa)

4. ? Tantamun

J. 26th Dynasty (663-525 — Saitic):

1.
663-609 — Psammetichus I (Psamtik)

2. 609-593 — Neco II (Necho)

3. 593-588 — Psammetichus II (Psamtik)

4. 588-569 — Apries (Hophra)

5. 569-525 —
Amasis

6. ? — Psammetichus III (Psamtik)

K. 27th Dynasty (525-401 —
Persian):

1. 530-522 — Cambyses II (Cyrus II’‘s son)

2. 522-486 — Darius I

3. 486-465 — Xerxes I

4. 465-424 — Artaxerxes I

5. 423-404 — Darius II

L. Several brief dynasties (404-332)

1. 404-359 — Artaxerxes II

2. 559/8 –
338/7 — Artaxerxes III

3. 338/7 – 336/7 — Arses

4. 336/5 – 331 — Darius
III

*for a differing chronology see Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible
Encyclopedia, vol. 2 p. 231.

V. Survey of Greece:

A. 359-336 —
Philip II of Macedon:

1. built up Greece

2. assassinated in 336 B.C.

B.
336-323 — Alexander II “the Great” (Philip’s son):

1. routed Darius III, the
Persian king, at the battle of Isus

2. died in 323 B.C. in Babylon of a fever
at 32/33 yrs. of age

3. Alexander’s generals divided his empire at his death:

a. Cassender — Macedonia and Greece

b. Lysimicus
— Thrace

c. Seleucus I — Syria and Babylon

d. Ptolemy — Egypt and Palestine

e. Antigonus — Asia
Minor (He did not last long)

C. Seleucids vs. Ptolemies struggle for control
of Palestine:

1. Syria (Seleucid Rulers):

a. 312-280 — Seleucus I

b.
280-261 — Antiochus I Soter

c. 261-246 — Antiochus II Theus

d. 246-226 —
Seleucus II Callinicus

e. 226-223 — Seleucus III Ceraunus

f. 223-187 —
Antiochus III the Great

g. 187-175 — Seleucus IV Philopator

h. 175-163 —
Antiochus IV Epiphanes

i. 163-162 — Antiochus V

j. 162-150 — Demetrius I

2. Egyptian (Ptolemaic Rulers):

a. 327-285 — Ptolemy I Soter

b. 285-246 —
Ptolemy II Philadelphus

c. 246-221 — Ptolemy III Evegetes

d. 221-203 —
Ptolemy IV Philopator

e. 203-181 — Ptolemy V Epiphanes

f. 181-146 —
Ptolemy VI Philometor

3. Brief Survey:

a. 301 — Palestine under Ptolemy
rule for 181 years.

b. 175-163 — Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the eighth Seleucid
ruler, wanted to Hellenize Jews by force, if necessary:

(1) constructed
gymnasiums

(2) constructed pagan altars of Zeus Olympius in the Temple

c.
168 — December 13 — hog slain on the altar in Jerusalem by Antiochus IV
Epiphanes. Some consider this to be “the abomination of desolation” in Daniel 9
& 11.

d. 167 — Mattathias, priest in Modin, and sons rebel. The best known of
his sons was Judas Maccabeas, “Judas the Hammer.”

e. 165
— December 25 — Temple rededicated. This is called Hanukkah or “Festival of Lights.”

For
a good discussion of the dating problems, procedures and presuppositions see The
Expositors Bible Commentary, vol. 4, pp. 10-17.