Taharqa the Peaceful and Esarhaddon the Holy

In 673 BC, the mighty Assyrian Empire marched against Egypt, determined to achieve a conquest greater than any Assyrian king had accomplished before. Instead, its army suffered a humiliating defeat.

My voice is a bit different because I am recovering from a bad cold. Editing is probably more choppy than usual. Such is life.

But why did King Esarhaddon invade Egypt in the first place? And how had Egypt, after centuries of political fragmentation, become powerful enough to resist the greatest empire in the ancient Near East?

In this episode of Oldest Stories, we explore the remarkable reign of Pharaoh Taharqa, the Kushite ruler of Egypt's Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. Under Taharqa, Egypt experienced a revival of wealth, monumental construction, religious life, and royal authority. Meanwhile, the small kingdoms of the Levant increasingly found themselves caught between the growing influence of Egypt and the crushing demands of Assyrian imperial rule.

We examine the uncertain extent of Egyptian involvement in Levantine rebellions, the strategic ambitions of the Assyrian kings, and the political calculations of the minor rulers who struggled to preserve their independence. Finally, we follow Esarhaddon's ill-fated expedition across the Sinai and into Egypt, where the Assyrian army met a defeat that its own royal records preferred to forget.

For an emperor who had promised extraordinary greatness under the favor of the gods, this was a serious problem.