History Pages
Kings and Nations of the Ancient Near East
All dates, particularly the earlier ones, are approximate
The Dating of various kings and rulers is made difficult by the different calendars in use by different nations, by the practice of co-regencies between father and son in Judah, by frequent assassination and rival claims to kingship in Israel, by the practice of Egyptian Pharaohs of obliterating the name of a predecessor and using their own name on memorials, and by the revolts and assassinations and rival claims to kingship throughout the region
The United Monarchy
| Israel | Egypt | Assyria | Babylon |
|---|---|---|---|
| ca.1030-ca.1010 Saul | 1047-1001 Psusennes I | 1031-1019 Shalmaneser II 1019-1013 Ashur-nirari IV, son of Shalmaneser II |
ca.1029-1022 Nabu-shum-libur, last of his dynasty |
| 1,010-970 David captured Jerusalem, made it the capital of Israel |
1001-992 Amenemope son of Psusennes I 992-986 Osorkon the Elder 986-967 Siamun, first to use the title "Pharaoh" |
1013-972 Ashur-rabi II, a younger son of Ashurnasirpal I | ca.1021-1004 Simbar-shipak, a soldier who seized power ca.1004 Ea-mukin-zeri, probably killed Simbar-shipak ca.1003-1001 Kashshu-nadin-ahi ca.1000-984 Eulmash-shakim-shumi seized the throne ca.983-981 Ninurta-kudurri-usur I ca.981 Shirikti-shuqamuna, reigned for 3 months ca.980-975 Mar-biti-apla-usur |
| 970-931 Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem |
967-943 Psusennes II 943-922 Shoshenq I (Shishak) |
972-967 Ashur-resh-ishi II, son of Ashur-rabi II 967-935 Tiglath-Pileser II, son of Ashur-resh-ishi II |
ca.974-939 Nabu-mukin-apli ca.939 Ninurta-kudurri-usur II, son of Nabu-mukin-apli, reigned less than one year |
| 931 Split between the southern kingdom of Judah, with Rehoboam as King, and the northern kingdom of Israel with Jeroboam I as King | |||
The Divided Monarchy
| Judah | Israel | Egypt | Assyria | Babylon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 931-913 Rehoboam | 931-910 Jeroboam I chose Shechem as his first capital, later moved to Tirzah | 943-922 BC Sheshonq I (Shishak) of Egypt, invaded Israel and carried off treasures from the Temple | 934-912 Ashur-dan II, son of Tiglath Pileser II | ?-901 Shamash-mudammiq ca.900-887 Nabu-shuma-ukin I |
| 913-911 Abijah | 922-887 Osorkon I | |||
| 911-870 Asa | 910-909 Nadab (son of Jeroboam) | 911-891 Adad-nirari II, son of Ashur-dan II | ca.900-887 Nabu-shuma-ukin I | |
| 909-886 Baasha (killed Nadab) | 890-884 Tukulti-Ninurta II, son of Adad-Nirari II | |||
| 886-885 Elah (son of Baasha) | 887-885 Shoshenq II | 883-859 Ashurnasirpal II, son of Tukulti-Ninurta II | ca.886-ca.853 Nabu-apla-iddina, son of Nabu-shuma-ukin I | |
| 885 Zimri (killed Elah) reigned 7 days, committed suicide Omri chosen as king by some of the people |
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| 885-880(?) war between Tibni and Omri | 885-872 Takelot I, son of Osorkon I | |||
| 885-874 Omri (killed Tibni) 879 Omri moved the capital of Israel from Tirzah to his new city of Samaria |
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| 870-848 Jehoshaphat | 874-853 Ahab (son of Omri) killed in battle Jezebel as queen Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, married Jehoram, crown prince of Judah |
872-837 Osorkon II | ||
| 853(coregency)-841 Jehoram (Joram) married to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab |
853-851 Ahaziah (son of Ahab) accidental death 852-841 Joram (Jehoram) (another son of Ahab) killed by Jehu |
859-824 BC Shalmanezer III, son of Ashurnasirpal II Assyrians conquered most of Mesopotamia, developed the policy of deporting conquered peoples to other lands to prevent nationalistic revolts 853 BC Battle of Karkar in Syria - Shalmanezer recorded that at that battle "10,000 foot soldiers of Ahab the Israelite" along with soldiers from 11 other kings, fought against him. (ANET 278-79) Assyrians destroyed the city of Babylon, and made Nineveh their capital. They later thought that the god Marduk was angry with them for destroying his city, and rebuilt Babylon |
ca.852-ca.825 Marduk-zakir-shumi I, son of Nabu-apla-iddina | |
| 841 Ahaziah (son of Jehoram and Athaliah) killed by Jehu 841-835 Queen Athaliah (killed all the royal family except Jehosheba and Joash) |
841-814 Jehu (killed Joram & Ahaziah) | ca.841-ca.803 Shoshenq III | 841 Shalmanezer III invaded Damascus and Israel, and exacted tribute from Jehu. The "Black Obelisk" of Shalmanezer (now in the British Museum) shows a king identified as Jehu, kneeling before Shalmanezer, and claims "the tribute of Jehu, son of Omri : I recieved from him silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden vase with pointed bottom, golden tumblers, golden buckets, tin, a staff for a king, . . . " (ANET 281) "son of Omri" - Shalmanezer was either not aware of the details of Jehu's accession, or was using the term to mean that Jehu was ruling the region that Omri used to dominate | |
| 835-796 Joash (Jehoash) (son of Ahaziah) assassinated | 824-811 Shamshi-Adad V, son of Shalmaneser III | ca.824-813 Marduk-balassu-iqbi, son of Marduk-zakir-shumi I | ||
| 814-798 Jehoahaz (son of Jehu) | 811-783 Adad-nirari III 803 BC Adad-nirari III of Assyria invaded Syria (ANET 281-82) |
813-812 Baba-aha-iddina, taken captive by the Assyrians Assyria takes control of Babylon until ca. 700 |
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| 796-767 Amaziah ca. 792 taken prisoner by Jehoash of Israel 767 assassinated |
798-782 Jehoash (Joash) (son of Jehoahaz) | 798-785 Shoshenq IV 785-778 Pami |
783-773 Shalmaneser IV, son of Adad-nirari III | |
| 792(regency)-740 Uzziah (Azariah) 750 became a leper |
793(co regency)-753 Jeroboam II | ca.767-730 Shoshenq V, son of Pami | 773-755 Ashur-dan III, son of Adad-nirari III, and brother of Shalmaneser IV | |
| 753 Zachariah (son of Jeroboam II) reigned 6 months | 755-745 Ashur-nirari V, son of Adad-nirari III, and brother of Ashur-dan III | |||
| 752 Shallum (killed Zachariah) reigned 1 month | ||||
| 752-742 Menahem (killed Shallum) | Assyrians began to adopt Aramaic as their language | |||
| 742-740 Pekahiah (son of Menahem) | 745-727 Tiglath-pileser III ("Pul") | |||
| 750 (co-regency)-732 Jotham | 752 (disputed claim to kingship)-732 Pekah (killed Pekahiah) | |||
| 735 (co-regency)-716 Ahaz | 732-722 Hoshea (killed Pekah) | 730-716 Osorkon IV | 727-722 BC Shalmanezer V invaded Israel | |
| 727 (co-regency)-698 Hezekiah 701 Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem. Hezekiah built a water-tunnel and withstood the siege |
722 BC Fall of Samaria to Shalmaneser V and/or Sargon II, kings of Assyria The Israelite people were taken into captivity in Assyria, and became "the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel" Various conquered peoples were moved into the area by the Assyrians. They became the "Samaritans" |
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Judah alone
| Judah | Egypt | Assyria | Babylon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 727 (co-regency)-698 Hezekiah | 722-705 Sargon II, conquered the Hittites, the Chaldeans, and Samaria 705-681 Sennacherib. In 701 Sennacherib invaded Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem. Sennacherib's accounts of the campaign are given on the "Sennacherib Prism" (now in the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago), the "Taylor Prism" (now in the British Museum), and the Jerusalem Prism (now in Jerusalem) |
721-710 Merodach-baladan, split from the Assyrian empire. 710 Sargon regained control of Babylon. Merodach-baladan fled to Elam until 701 when he claimed Babylon again. 700 Sennacherib ousted Merodach-baladan, who fled to Elam once more, and died ca. 694 |
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| 698-643 Manasseh 652-647 prisoner in Assyria |
690-664 Pharaoh Tirhakah of Egypt's 25th (Ethiopian) dynasty (defeated at Eltekeh by Sennacherib) ca. 660 Jewish settlement at Elephantine (Egypt) |
681-669 Esarhaddon (son of Sennacherib) 669-633 Asshurbanipal of Assyria (son of Esarhaddon) began to assemble a library in Nineveh of all the literature of Mesopotamia (30,000 tablets from this library have been uncovered) 652 Ashurbanipal took Manasseh as a prisoner to Assyria |
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| 643-641 Amon assassinated | |||
| 641-609 Josiah | 612 Fall of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire to Nabopolassar. Nineveh was burnt to the ground. The Assyrian army fought on for about another 2 years, then was defeated at Haran | 626-605 Nabopolassar | |
| 609 Jehoahaz reigned 3 months, taken as a prisoner to Egypt |
609 Pharaoh Neco marched north to engage Babylon at the battle of Carchemish. Josiah and Judah were in the way. Neco killed Josiah and took Jehoahaz captive to Egypt, where he died. Neco chose another of Josiah's sons, Eliakim, renamed him Jehoiakim, and made him puppet-king of Jerusalem | ||
| 609-598 Jehoiakim | 605-562 Nebuchadnezzar II 605 Battle of Carchemish - Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Neco, invaded Judah 605 Hostages, including Daniel, were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon 601 Nebuchadnezzar failed in an attack on Egypt. Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar; Nebuchadnezzar prepared to retaliate |
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| 598-597 Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, reigned 3 months, taken as a prisoner to Babylon |
597 Nebuchadnezzar II invaded Judah again, took Jehoiachin and thousands of Jews, including Ezekiel, as prisoners to Babylon | ||
| 597-586 Zedekiah 597 Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon made Mattaniah, youngest son of Josiah, king of Judah, and changed his name to Zedekiah 588 Zedekiah refused to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, and broke his oath of allegiance. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah, besieged Jerusalem 586 Fall of Jerusalem. Zedekiah was blinded and taken as a prisoner to Babylon Prisoners were deported from Judah to Babylon, 597 BC, 587 BC, & 582 BC Babylonian captivity began |
Babylon and Beyond
| Persia | Babylon | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| ca. 650 Zarathustra (Zoroaster) founded Zoroastrianism, a dualistic religion which inspired the Persians to a program of conquest. The Persians were an Indo-European people living to the north of the Persian Gulf, away from the main areas of political unrest and war. Within 100 years of Zoroaster's teaching, the Persians, under Cyrus, founded a great empire and set about trying to conquer the whole world for Zoroastrianism | ||
| 626-605 Nabopolassar | ||
| 605-562 Nebuchadnezzar II, son of Nabopolassar | ||
| 562-560 Amel-Marduk, son of Nebuchadnezzar II | ||
| 560-556 Neriglissar, son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar II, usurped the throne | ||
| 556 Labashi-Marduk, son of Neriglissar, reigned for 3 months | ||
| 556-539 Nabonidus, probable son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar II, usurped the throne | ||
| 539-530 Cyrus II the Great, conquered Babylon | ||
| 530-522 Cambyses II, son of Cyrus II | ||
| 522 Bardiya, reigned for 4 months, possible son of Cyrus II | 522 Nebuchadnezzar III, reigned for 2 months, claimed to be a son of Nabonidus | |
| 522-486 Darius I the Great | 522 Nebuchadnezzar IV, claimed to be a son of Nabonidus, reigned for 3 months until Darius I the Great took Babylon again | |
| 486-465 Xerxes I the Great, re-took Babylon | 484 Shamash-eriba, reigned for 3 months 484 Bel-shimanni, reigned for 1 month |
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| 465-424 Artaxerxes I, son of Xerxes I | ||
| 423-404 Darius II, illegitimate son of Artaxerxes I | ||
| 404-358 Artaxerxes II, son of Darius II | ||
| 358-338 Artaxerxes III, son of Artaxerxes II | ||
| 338-336 Artaxerxes IV, son of Artaxerxes III | ||
| 336-331 Darius III, grandson of Artaxerxes II | ||
| 331 Alexander the Great conquered the Achaemenid Empire 323 death of Alexander the Great and disintegration of his Empire |
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Main Sources : Smithsonian Timelines of Ancient History, The Timetables of History (Bernard Grun)
Copyright © 2025 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
