Middle Babylonian period

Middle Babylonian period
c. 1595 BC – c. 1155 BC
Babylonia c. 13th century BC
LocationBabylonia
Monarch(s)Burnaburiash I (first king)
Enlil-nadin-ahi (last king)
Key events
Chronology

The Middle Babylonian period, also known as the Kassite period, in southern Mesopotamia is dated from c. 1595 – c. 1155 BC and began after the Hittites sacked the city of Babylon.[1][2][3] The Kassites, whose dynasty is synonymous with the period, eventually assumed political control over the region and consolidated their power by subjugating the Sealand dynasty c. 1475 BC.[4] After the subjugation of the Sealand dynasty, the Kassites unified the region of Babylonia into a single political entity.[5] At the height of the Middle Babylonian period, the Kassite kings were engaging in commerce, trade, and organising diplomatic marriages with the kings of Egypt and other regional powers.[1][6] However, after a period of gradual decline, the Middle Babylonian period collapsed with the fall of the Kassite dynasty c. 1155 BC. The collapse came as a result of an Assyrian invasion (c. 1232 – c. 1225 BC), that temporarily displaced the Kassites from their rule over southern Mesopotamia.[1][4] Finally, the Elamites conducted various raids and eventually invaded Babylonian c. 1158 BC, which brought the Kassite dynasty and Middle Babylonian period to an end.[1]

There are however differing chronologies of the period proposed by some contemporary scholars, with some suggesting that the Middle Babylonian period only proceeded the collapse of the Kassite period of c. 1150 BC.[7] While other scholars take the whole period of c. 1595 – c. 626 BC as constituting the Middle Babylonian period.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d Arnold, Bill (2004). Who were the Babylonians?. Atlanta, GA: Society of Biblical Literature. pp. 61–73. ISBN 9781589831063.
  2. ^ Knott, Elizabeth (June 2016). "The Middle Babylonian / Kassite Period (ca. 1595–1155 B.C.) in Mesopotamia". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Van de Mieroop, Marc (2016). A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000–323 BC. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 182–201. ISBN 9781405149112.
  5. ^ Kuhrt, Amélie (1997). The Ancient Near East c. 3000–330 BC. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge. pp. 332–372. ISBN 9780415167628.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Baker, Heather (2012). A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East: Volume I. Somerset, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 914–930. ISBN 9781405189880.
  8. ^ Finegan, Jack (1979). Archaeological History of the Ancient Middle East. New York, USA: Routledge. pp. 66–77. ISBN 9780891581642.