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Battle of Carchemish
Part of the Egyptian-Babylonian wars
Date c. 605 BC Location Carchemish Result Decisive Babylonian Victory
Belligerents
Egypt Assyria	Babylonia
Commanders
Necho II	Nebuchadrezzar II

v • d • e Campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian Empire Rise of Neo-Assyria – Campaigns of Ashurnasirpal II – Campaigns of Shalmaneser III – Qarqar – Campaigns of Tiglath Pileser III – Campaigns of Sargon II – Campaigns of Sennacherib – Lachish – Jerusalem – Diyala River – 1st Babylon – Campaigns of Esarhaddon – Campaigns of Ashurbanipal – Ashdod – Susa – Elam – 2nd Babylon – Arrapha – Assur – Nineveh – Harran – Carchemish

The Battle of Carchemish was fought about 605 BC between the allied armies of Egypt and Assyria against Babylonia.

Background

When the Assyrian capital Nineveh was overrun by the Babylonians in 612 BC, the Assyrians moved their capital to Harran. When Harran was captured by the Babylonians in 608 BC, the capital was once again moved, this time to Carchemish. Egypt was allied with the Assyrians, and marched in 605 BC to their aid against the Babylonians.

The Egyptian army of Pharaoh Necho II was delayed at Megiddo by the forces of King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was killed and his army was defeated.

Battle

The Egyptians met the full might of the Babylonian army led by Nebuchadrezzar II at Carchemish where the combined Egyptian and Assyrian forces were soundly destroyed. Assyria ceased to exist as an independent power, and Egypt retreated and was no longer a significant force in the Ancient Near East. Babylonia reached its economic peak after 605 BC.¹

Records of the battle

The Jerusalem Chronicle, part of the Babylonian Chronicles, now housed in the British Museum, claim that Nebuchadnezzar "crossed the river to go against the Egyptian army which lay in Karchemiš. They fought with each other and the Egyptian army withdrew before him. He accomplished their defeat and beat them to non-existence. As for the rest of the Egyptian army. which had escaped from the defeat so quickly that no weapon had reached them, in the district of Hamath the Babylonian troops overtook and defeated them so that not a single man escaped to his own country. At that time Nebuchadnezzar conquered the whole area of Hamath."² The battle is also mentioned and described in the Bible (Jer. 46:3-12).

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