The Rise of the Babylonian Empire

“The Rise of the Babylonian Empire” surveys Babylonian history during the transitional period between 631 and 585 BC, from the end of Ashurbanipal’s reign to the first half of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II. This period witnessed the fall of the Assyrian Empire and the formation of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, after which the Neo-Babylonian Empire reached its mature stage with consolidated territorial control, administrative systems, and state ideologies. The main focusses of the monograph are the unfolding of the Nabopolassar Revolt, the processes and consequences of imperial expansion, the way in which the new dynasty administered its territory, and the interventions and royal ideologies adopted during the early years of the Neo-Babylonian rule. These historical factors contributed to the various transformations in Babylonia politically, economically, socially, and demographically.