Neo-Babylonian Empire

The Neo-Babylonian Empire emerged when Nabopolassar rebelled against Assyrian rule and established an independent Babylonian kingdom. Allied with the Medes, the Babylonians helped destroy the Assyrian Empire and soon became the leading power of Mesopotamia and the Levant. Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon defeated Egypt at Carchemish in −605 and brought Judah into its sphere of control. After repeated Judean rebellions, Babylon captured Jerusalem, deported members of the royal and elite classes, and in −586 destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, ending the Kingdom of Judah and beginning the Babylonian Exile. The empire lasted until −539, when Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great of Persia.