Battles & Campaigns · 605 BCE
Battle of Carchemish
Carchemish, on the Euphrates at today's Turkey-Syria border
What happened
The Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar II fought the Egyptian army of Pharaoh Necho II, which included what was left of the Assyrian army. Necho II marched north to help the last Assyrian forces at Carchemish, a crossing point on the Euphrates. Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army made an unexpected attack and defeated them. The Egyptians were eventually pushed out of Syria.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The defeat ended Egyptian influence in the Levant. Babylon's power now reached all the way to Egypt's borders.
What came next
Nebuchadnezzar took control of the lands of the old Assyrian Empire.
Did you know?
Between 1911 and 1914, T. E. Lawrence, later known as 'Lawrence of Arabia', helped dig up the ruins of Carchemish.
Timeline
- 717 BCEThe Assyrian king Sargon II conquers Carchemish.
- 605 BCEBabylon defeats Egypt at Carchemish.
- 1876George Smith identifies the site.
- 1911-1914D. G. Hogarth leads excavations, helped by T. E. Lawrence.
- 2011A joint Turkish-Italian team begins new excavations.