Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901)
Babylonian record of the destruction of Assyria's capital in 612 BCE, as Nahum foretold
Found 1896 — Purchased by the British Museum from an antiquities dealer in 1896; identified and published by C. J. Gadd in 1923
Where Unknown (Babylonia) (Iraq)
Dates from covers 616–609 BCE · Neo-Babylonian · Reign of Yoshiyahu (Josiah); prophecies of Nahum and Zephaniah
Now at British Museum, London (BM 21901)
How Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) was found
A chronicle tablet from Babylonia bought on the antiquities market; its content was recognised when Gadd read it.
What it is
A clay tablet recording year by year how Nabopolassar of Babylon and Cyaxares the Mede attacked Assyria. In the fourteenth year (612 BCE), 'they marched along the Tigris and encamped against Nineveh... a great defeat of the chief people they inflicted, the city they turned into ruin-heaps.' The last Assyrian king fled to Harran, which fell in 610; in 609 'a great Egyptian army' crossed the Euphrates to help him — the march on which Josiah died.
Why it matters for the Bible
Nahum's whole book predicts Nineveh's fall by flood and fire with her gates thrown open; the chronicle confirms the city was destroyed in a single season and never recovered, so completely that Xenophon passed the ruins two centuries later without knowing what they were. Zephaniah 2:13 made the same prediction. The tablet also dates Necho's expedition of 609, tying 2 Kings 23:29 to the international timeline.
The Hebrew word: neen-VEH
נִינְוֵה
נִינְוֵה is pronounced neen-VEH and means Nineveh, capital of Assyria (Strong's H5210).
People this discovery connects to
- Nahum — נַחוּם (nah-CHOOM) — comfort
- Josiah — יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (yoh-shee-YAH-hoo) — YHVH supports
Places
- Nineveh — נִינְוֵה (neen-VEH) — Assyrian Ninua
Events
Fall of Nineveh (612 BCE) · Necho's march north (609 BCE)
Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) in Scripture
Genesis 10:11 First mention of Nineveh in Scripture.
Nahum 3:7 'Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her?' — the chronicle records the city turned into ruin-heaps.
Zephaniah 2:13 YHVH will make Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert.
Questions people ask
What is Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901)?
A clay tablet recording year by year how Nabopolassar of Babylon and Cyaxares the Mede attacked Assyria. In the fourteenth year (612 BCE), 'they marched along the Tigris and encamped against Nineveh... a great defeat of the chief people they inflicted, the city they turned into ruin-heaps.' The last Assyrian king fled to Harran, which fell in 610; in 609 'a great Egyptian army' crossed the Euphrates to help him — the march on which Josiah died.
When was Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) discovered?
It was found in 1896 by Purchased by the British Museum from an antiquities dealer in 1896; identified and published by C. J. Gadd in 1923, at Unknown (Babylonia).
Where is Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) today?
British Museum, London (BM 21901).
Which Bible verses does Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) relate to?
Genesis 10:11, Nahum 3:7, Zephaniah 2:13.
Related discoveries
- עֶבֶדSeal of Ushna, Servant of AhazA carnelian seal of a royal official of King Ahaz
- אֱדוֹםPapyrus Anastasi VIA border official lets Shasu of Edom through the fort to the pools of Pithom
- הַסֹּפֵרBaruch son of Neriah Bulla (unprovenanced)'Belonging to Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe' — Jeremiah's secretary, if genuine
- סִבְלֹתPapyrus Leiden I 348 (Apiru hauling stone)'Apiru who drag stone for the great pylon of Ramesses'
- חוֹתָם'Jezebel' SealAn opulent Phoenician-style seal that may — or may not — have belonged to Ahab's queen
- גָּלוּתBabylonian Chronicle BM 21946 (the 'Jerusalem Chronicle')Nebuchadnezzar's own dated record: Carchemish 605 and the capture of Jerusalem, 2 Adar 597 BCE
Sources
- Gadd, The Fall of Nineveh: The Newly Discovered Babylonian Chronicle (1923)
- Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975), Chronicle 3
- Gadd, The Fall of Nineveh (1923), Internet Archive
- J. Halsey, 'Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901)'
Open Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (BM 21901) in Hebrew Explorer →