Although Hammurabi was a strong leader, it would be many centuries before another king of similar strength emerged in Babylonia. In fact, the nation entered a period of decline soon after his death, and the next thousand years would be characterized by a series of invasions from all sides.
Hammurabi's son fought off an attack from a nation called the Kassites (KASS-ites), who came from the mountains to the east. The Kassite invasion did not succeed then, but they would return. In the meantime, a group known as the Sealand people swept into Babylonia from the south, taking over cities and establishing their own dynasty. Historians know little about the people of the Sealand, who were much less civilized than the Babylonians and made little cultural impact, but they remained a threat to Babylonia for many years. In 1600 b. c., the Hittites came down from the northwest and sacked, or destroyed, Babylon. Strangely, however, they did not remain in the area, and soon after they departed, the Kassites seized control of Babylonia in 1595 b. c.
Though their name is not nearly as well-known as that of the Babylonians, the Kassites in fact established the longest-running of all dynasties in Babylonia. Apparently they respected the civilization established by the people they had subdued, and over the next four centuries Babylonian culture flourished. It was a time of considerable construction, as Babylon and other cities were rebuilt from the ruins of the Hittite invasion. During this period cuneiform went through a great deal of development, thanks to the establishment of schools to teach scribes the art of writing.
The Kassites encouraged trade, and maintained relations with leaders of other powerful lands. A record of their diplomacy, or negotiations with other leaders, exists in the form of the Amarna Letters found in the Egyptian city of Akhetaton. These letters show that the Kassite kings exchanged gifts with the pharaohs, who sent them gold.
Despite their achievements, the Kassites lost control of Babylon to the invading Assyrians in 1225 b. c. Other parts of Babylonia remained under Kassite rule until 1158, when a nation called the Elamites (EE-lum-ites) invaded from the south. During the Elamite period, the only pocket of Babylonian resistance was in the city of Isin, which established its own independent dynasty.
The most powerful of Isin's kings was Nebuchadnezzar I (neb-you-cud-NEZ-ur), who reigned from 1125 to 1104 b. c. and eventually drove out the Elamites. Once again, Babylonia experienced a brief period of renewal. For a time it appeared that Nebuchadnezzar would establish a new empire. He even took on the powerful Assyrians, and invaded their territory all the way to within twenty miles of their capital. But he never went any farther; nor did the Babylonians get to fulfill their hopes of once again becoming a powerful nation. Nonetheless, Nebuchadnezzar became a legendary figure who inspired hope. It is perhaps fitting that the most famous Babylonian leader other than Hammurabi would later be named Nebuchadnezzar as well.
But the time of Nebuchadnezzar II still lay many centuries in the future. Before Babylonia reemerged, it would fall into the hands of more invaders. Notable among these were the Aramaeans (air-uh-MAY-uns) from the region of modern-day Syria to the west. Like the Kassites, they came as invaders but adopted Babylonian culture—with a major twist. Their language, Aramaic (air-uh-MAY-ick), gradually replaced Babylonian as the common language of the people. Because of the great influence of Babylonian civilization, Aramaic spread throughout the region until it became the lingua franca (LING-wah FRANK-uh), or common language, for much of the known world [see sidebar, “Lingua Franca Spoken Here”].
During much of the period from the 800s to the 600s B. C., Babylonia faced an off-and-on threat from the Assyrians, who took over in the 700s and in 689 sacked Babylon. This second destruction of their capital city enraged the Babylonians, who revolted against Assyria in 652 b. c. The Assyrians put down the rebellion after four years, but the Babylonians remained defiant. Two decades later, they established a new dynasty that would be the most powerful since the days of Hammurabi.
World History
