Babylonian Empire

A succession of Mesopotamian states centered on Babylon, including the Neo-Babylonian Empire that conquered Assyria and ruled much of the Near East.

Babylon: An ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates that became the center of several kingdoms and empires. The city gave these states their name and served as their political and cultural center.
Babylonian kingship: A Mesopotamian institution in which a king governed as a human ruler responsible for order and divine favor. Babylonian rulers grounded political authority in kingship and their relationship with the gods.
Nebuchadnezzar II: The Neo-Babylonian king who ruled from 605 to 562 BCE and extended Babylonian power across the Levant. His campaigns and building projects marked the empire's peak.
Fall of Nineveh: The capture and destruction of the Assyrian capital by a coalition of Babylonians and Medes in 612 BCE. It was a decisive step in the Babylonian-led defeat of Assyria.
First Babylonian Dynasty: The Amorite dynasty that ruled Babylon from about 1894 to 1595 BCE. It established Babylon as a major power centuries before the empire that defeated Assyria.
Babylonian administration: The officials, provinces, records, and procedures used to govern Babylonian territories. Administrative systems helped rulers manage lands and populations beyond Babylon.
Nabopolassar: The Babylonian king who founded the Neo-Babylonian dynasty and led the revolt against Assyria. His alliance and campaigns brought down Assyrian rule and established the later empire.
Babylonian captivity: The deportation and exile of Judeans to Babylonia, especially after Jerusalem's fall in 586 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar II's campaigns made Babylon central to Judean history and memory.
Hammurabi: The sixth king of Babylon's First Dynasty, who expanded its rule across much of Mesopotamia. His reign made the early Babylonian kingdom a regional empire.
Babylonian law: The legal rules and judicial practices documented in texts from ancient Babylonia. Law codes and court records show how Babylonian governments organized justice and property.

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