Medo-Babylonia to the Roman Empire, a Timeline
Empire Years Major Events |
| Assyria 612 Nineveh falls, effective end of Assyria. Babylon Empire world power. |
| Egypt 609 Judah attacks Egypt as it passes by to battle with Assyria and loses. Judah falls. |
| Babylon 605 Battle of Carchemish, Egypt falls, Daniel deported (Dn. 1:1). Nebuchadrezzar II king. |
| 597 Nebuchadrezzar takes Jerusalem; many Jews exiled including Ezekiel; city subjugated but not destroyed. |
| 587 Jerusalem falls and is burned to the ground. Many Jews deported. A few including Jeremiah go to Egypt. |
| 581 Final Jewish captivity. Many flee to Egypt taking Jeremiah with them. |
| 562-560 Amel-Marduk King of Babylon. (Evil-Merodach 2 Ki. 25:27-30) |
| 560-556 Neriglissar, son-in-law of Nebuchadrezzar. |
| 556 Labashi-Marduk. |
| 556-539 Nabonidus (Belshazzar acting in Babylon). |
| 539 Fall of Babylon. Daniel prays and received vision of seventy weeks. (Dn. 9) |
| Persia 539-530 Cyrus: the Achaemenid dynasty. Daniel's vision of a great war (537, Dn 10:1) |
| 530-522 Cambyses. |
| 522-486 Darius I. Temple dedicated third day of Adar in 515 (12 March). |
| 486-465/4 Xerxes I (Ahasuerus). Esther Queen for a short time. |
| 464-423 Artaxerxes I. Second (458) and Third (444) Return to Jerusalem. |
| 423-404 Darius II. |
| 404-359 Artaxerxes II. |
| 359/58-338/37 Artaxerxes III. |
| 338/37-336/35 Arses. |
| 336/35-331 Darius III. |
| Greece 334-331 Conquests of Alexander of Macedon (331-323). |
| 323 Alexander dies, empire divided into four of which Egypt and Syrian are predominant. |
| Egypt 323-285 Ptolemy I. |
| 285-245 Ptolemy II. |
| 247-221 Ptolemy III. |
| 221-203 Ptolemy IV. |
| 203-181 Ptolemy V. The battle of Panium in 198. Syria (Selecid) took over Palestine from Egypt (Ptolemaic). |
| Syria 312-281 Seleucus I. |
| 281-260 Antiochus I. |
| 260-246 Antiochus II. |
| 245-223 Seleucus II and III. |
| 222-187 Antiochus III 'the Great'. The battle of Panium in 198. Syria (Selecid) took over Palestine from Egypt (Ptolemaic). |
| 187-175 Seleucus IV. To pay the Romans, he sent his minister Heliodorus to Jerusalem to seize the Jewish temple treasury. |
| 175-164 Antiochus IV 'Epiphanes'. High priest Simon II died in 175 with brief civil war following. |
| 168 Antiochus expelled from Egypt by Roman consul (Dn. 11:30). |
| 167 (Dec. 25) erection of Greek altar in the Jerusalem temple. |
| Jewish 166-63 Maccabean revolt for independence lead by Hasmonean family. |
| 166-160 Judas the Maccabee (the Hammer) defeated the Seleucid army. |
| 160-143 Jonathan, Judas' son is high priest. |
| 142 Tower of Jerusalem is constructed and cleansed. |
| 142-134 Simeon, Jonathan's brother is high priest. Established Hasmonean dynasty. |
| 134-104 John Hyrcanus, Judas & Jonathan's nephew rules & enlarges the independent Jewish state. |
| 103 Aristobulus, John's son rules as self proclaimed king even though not of David's line. |
| 102-76 Alexander Jannaeus, John's son rules and married his brother's widow, Salome. |
| 75-67 Salome Alexandra rules with son, Hyrcanus II high priest who reestablished the Sanhedrin. |
| 66-63 Battle between Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, Simeon's great-grandsons, Roman pawns. |
| Roman 63 Judea, the partially-Hellenized territory comes under Roman imperial rule. |
| 63-40 Hyrcanus II high priest and ruler under Rome. Pharisee supporter unlike Alexander. |
| 40-37 Parthians conquer Jerusalem installing a local Jewish king and high priest, Antigonus. |
| 37 Jerusalem seized for six months. Herod recaptures Palestine with Roman support. |
| 32 Herod begins a war against Nabatea with victory one year later. |
| 31 Octavian (Augustus) defeats Mark Antony. Herod switches allegiance. |
| 19 Herod's temple rebuilding project begins. |
| 16 Herod visits Agrippa. |
| 10 The newly expanded temple was inaugurated. War against the Nabateans began. |
| 6 Jesus born. Herod tries to kill him sometime between now and his death. |
| 4 Herod dies. His territory is divided into three areas; Archelaus succeeds Judea. |
