Battle of Megiddo (609 BC) 609 BC
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
About the battle
This Battle of Megiddo is recorded as having taken place in 609 BC, when Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt led his army to Carchemish (northern Syria) to join with his allies, the fading Neo-Assyrian Empire, against the surging Neo-Babylonian Empire. This required passing through territory controlled by the Kingdom of Judah. The Judaean king Josiah refused to let the Egyptians pass. The Judaean forces battled the Egyptians at Megiddo, resulting in Josiah's death and his kingdom becoming a vassal state of Egypt. The battle is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, the Greek 1 Esdras, and the writings of Jewish historian Josephus.
While Necho II gained control of the Kingdom of Judah, the Assyrian forces lost to the Babylonians and Medes at the Fall of Harran, after which Assyria largely ceased to exist as an independent state.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Megiddo (609 BC) (revision 1370269318), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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