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.