istoryworld
Events relating to mesopotamia
Sennacherib moves the Assyrian capital to a new site at Nineveh
The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, destroys with great brutality the city of Babylon
Ashurbanipal commissions a great library of cuneiform clay tablets at Nineveh
The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh is known in its complete form from texts in the library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh
Ashurbanipal commissions a magnificent relief of a lion hunt for his new palace at Nineveh
Nebuchadnezzar comes to the throne of Babylon, beginning a prosperous reign of more than forty years
The Jews, taken into captivity in Babylon, form the first community of the Diaspora
Nebuchadnezzar builds the hanging gardens of Babylon, supposedly to comfort a homesick wife
The synagogue, as a simple place of Jewish worship, develops during the Babylonian captivity
The optimistic concept of the Messiah is part of the Jewish response to captivity in Babylon
A Persian army captures Babylon and brings it into the empire of Cyrus the Great
Moving northeast into Mesopotamia, Alexander again defeats Darius III (at Gaugamela), leaving Persia open to his advances
Alexander, still only 33, dies in Babylon following a banquet
Seleucia is founded as a new capital on the Tigris, eclipsing Babylon and recycling much of the older city as building material
Seleucus founds Antioch as a Greek city on the trade route between Mesopotamia and Europe
The oasis city of Palmyra acquires importance on the caravan route between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean
The Parthians develop the site of Ctesiphon, on the east bank of the Tigris opposite Seleucia
Khosrau I builds himself a superb new palace, of which the great vaulted Taq-e Kisra remains today at Ctesiphon
Khosrau I commissions a spectacular Spring Carpet for the floor of his hall of audience in Ctesiphon
The Byzantine emperor Heraclius recovers the True Cross from Ctesiphon
The Arabs defeat a Persian army at Kadisiya and then sack the city of Ctesiphon, effectively bringing to an end the Sassanian dynasty
Othman is assassinated, and Ali wins power as the fourth Muslim caliph - defeating Muhammad's widow Aisha at the 'battle of the camel' near Basra
Husayn, the son of Ali, dies at Karbala in a battle against rival Muslims and becomes the most holy of Shi'ite martyrs
Karaism, relying on scripture rather than rabbinical commentary, develops among the Jewish community in Babylon
