n the British Museum were taken from
Ashur-bani-pal's library.

There are no Assyrian records of the reigns of Ashur-bani-pal's two
sons, Ashur-etil-ilani--who erected a small palace and reconstructed
the temple to Nebo at Kalkhi--and Sin-shar-ishkun, who is supposed to
have perished in Nineveh. Apparently Ashur-etil-ilani reigned for at
least six years, and was succeeded by his brother.

A year after Ashur-bani-pal died, Nabopolassar, who was probably a
Chaldaean, was proclaimed king at Babylon. According to Babylonian
legend he was an Assyrian general who had been sent southward with an
army to oppose the advance of invaders from the sea. Nabopolassar's
sway at first was confined to Babylon and Borsippa, but he
strengthened himself by forming an offensive and defensive alliance
with the Median king, whose daughter he had married to his son
Nebuchadrezzar. He strengthened the fortifications of Babylon, rebuilt
the temple of Merodach, which had been destroyed by Ashur-bani-pal,
and waged war successfully against the Assyrians and their allies in
Mesopotamia.

About 606 B.C. Nineveh fell, and Sin-shar-ishkun may have burned
himself there in his palace, like his uncle, Shamash-shum-ukin of
Babylon, and the legendary Sardanapalus. It is not certain, however,
whether the Scythians or the Medes were the successful besiegers of
the great Assyrian capital. "Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of
lies and robbery", Nahum had cried."... The gates of the rivers shall
be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.... Take ye the spoil of
silver, take the spoil of gold.... Behold, I am against thee, saith
the Lord of hosts[551]."

According to Herodotus, an army of Medes under Cyaxares had defeated
the Assyrians and were besieging Nineveh when the Scythians overran
Media. Cyaxares raised the siege and went against them, but was
defeated. Then the Scythians swept across Assyria and Mesopotamia, and
penetrated to the Delta frontier of Egypt. Psamtik ransomed his
kingdom with handsome gifts. At length, however, Cyaxares had the
Scythian leaders slain at a banquet, and then besieged and captured
Nineveh.

Assyria was completely overthrown. Those of its nobles and priests who
escaped the sword no doubt escaped to Babylonia. Some may have found
refuge also in Palestine and Egypt.

Necho, the second Pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Egyptian Dynasty, did
not hesitate to take advantage of Assyria's fall. In 609 B.C. he
proceeded to re