Sack of Babylon by Sennacherib
689 BCE · Babylon (modern Iraq)
The Sack of Babylon by Sennacherib was fought in 689 BCE in Babylon (modern Iraq) between Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Babylon; Assyrian victory; the city was razed and its waters diverted over the ruins.
Sack of Babylon by Sennacherib: quick facts
- Date
- 689 BCE
- Location
- Babylon (modern Iraq)
- Belligerents
- Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Babylon
- Commanders
- Sennacherib vs Mushezib-Marduk
- Result
- Assyrian victory; the city was razed and its waters diverted over the ruins.
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Sack of Babylon by Sennacherib?
After years of Babylonian revolts, Sennacherib of Assyria lost patience and ordered the complete destruction of Babylon, one of the most ancient and revered cities in Mesopotamia. His army razed the city's walls, temples, and palaces, then diverted canals to flood the ruins. The destruction of Babylon, especially its sacred temples, shocked the ancient world and was considered an act of supreme sacrilege. Many Assyrians believed that the subsequent murder of Sennacherib by his own sons was divine punishment for destroying the holy city. His successor Esarhaddon would later rebuild Babylon to atone for the crime.
Did you know?
Sennacherib's destruction of Babylon was considered so sacrilegious that his own son Esarhaddon later spent years rebuilding the city to atone for his father's crime against the gods.
Sources and further reading
- Sack of Babylon by Sennacherib on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.