The Battle of Quramati is a battle that took place on the east of the Euphrates River between the Egyptian army and the Babylonian army. The battle ended with the defeat of the Babylonians.

Background

When the

Assyria Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the ...

n capital Nineveh was overrun by the Medes, Scythians, Babylonians and their allies in 612 BC, the Assyrians moved their capital to

Harran Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...

. When Harran was captured by the alliance in 609 BC, ending the Assyrian Empire, remnants of the Assyrian army joined

Carchemish Carchemish ( Turkish: ''Karkamış''; or ), also spelled Karkemish ( hit, ; Hieroglyphic Luwian: , /; Akkadian: ; Egyptian: ; Hebrew: ) was an important ancient capital in the northern part of the region of Syria. At times during it ...

, a city under Egyptian rule, on the

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...

river. Egypt, then under the rule of

Necho II Necho II (sometimes Nekau, Neku, Nechoh, or Nikuu; Greek: Νεκώς Β'; ) of Egypt was a king of the 26th Dynasty (610–595 BC), which ruled from Sais. Necho undertook a number of construction projects across his kingdom. In his reign, accordi ...

, was allied with the Assyrian king

Ashur-uballit II Ashur-uballit II, also spelled Assur-uballit II and Ashuruballit II ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning " Ashur has kept alive"), was the final ruler of Assyria, ruling from his predecessor Sinsharishkun's death at the Fall of Nineveh in 612 BC ...

, and marched in 609 BC to his aid against the Babylonians.

Battle

The Egyptian army moved in the spring of 606 BC to besiege and occupy Kimuhu. “Nebulaser did not help his besieged army in Kimoho, perhaps for fear that the Babylonian army would perish because of the risk it would take in crossing the Euphrates River and meeting the Egyptian army west of the river.” The city of Kimuhu fell into the hands of the Egyptians after being besieged for a period of four months. In response to this, the Babylonian army encamped in the city of Quramati and in September 606 BC Babylonian forces crossed the river and took control of the city of Chondari, located to the west of the river, but the Egyptian response came quickly with a counterattack, as the Egyptian army crossed the river and occupied the city of Quramati east of the river. The Babylonian army withdrew from the west of the Euphrates fearing that the Egyptian army would besiege them and eliminate them completely.

References

{{Reflist 605 BC Quramati Quramati Quramati 7th century BC