Siege of Memphis
671 BCE · Memphis, Egypt
The Siege of Memphis was fought in 671 BCE in Memphis, Egypt between Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Kushite Egypt; Assyrian victory; Memphis was taken and Assyria briefly ruled Lower Egypt.
Siege of Memphis: quick facts
- Date
- 671 BCE
- Location
- Memphis, Egypt
- Belligerents
- Neo-Assyrian Empire vs Kushite Egypt
- Commanders
- Esarhaddon vs Taharqa
- Result
- Assyrian victory; Memphis was taken and Assyria briefly ruled Lower Egypt.
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Siege of Memphis?
Esarhaddon of Assyria crossed the Sinai Desert and invaded Egypt, besieging and capturing Memphis, the ancient capital. Pharaoh Taharqa of the Nubian 25th Dynasty fled south to Upper Egypt. The conquest of Memphis brought Egypt under Assyrian control for the first time, uniting the two oldest civilizations of the Near East under one empire. Esarhaddon erected a victory stele showing Taharqa's son in chains. However, Assyrian control over Egypt proved difficult to maintain, and Taharqa would later recapture Memphis, forcing Esarhaddon's successor Ashurbanipal to invade Egypt again.
Did you know?
Esarhaddon's conquest of Memphis was the first and only time Assyria and Egypt, the two oldest civilizations of the Near East, were united under a single ruler.
Sources and further reading
- Siege of Memphis 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.