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siege, major, ancient

Siege of Jerusalem

Siege of Jerusalem was a siege conducted in 597 BC at Jerusalem, in what is now Israel. It was part of the Jewish–Babylonian War, which ran from 601 BC to 586 BC. The recorded result: Babylonian victory. Recorded strength: Much fewer against Unknown.

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Nabu II
Nabu II. Mbmrock, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought597 BC
WhereJerusalem, Israel31.777N, 35.230E
OutcomeBabylonian victory
BelligerentsKingdom of JudahagainstNeo-Babylonian Empire
Casualties and lossesMany slain, others taken to captivityandUnknown
Part ofJewish–Babylonian War601 BC to 586 BC

Record

Date597 BC (year precision)
PlaceJerusalem, Israel
31.777N, 35.230E
KindSiege, ancient
StrengthMuch fewerUnknown
Casualties and lossesMany slain, others taken to captivityUnknown
Commanders
  • Jehoiakim
  • Jeconiah
Siege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemBattle of JerusalemBattle of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemOperation KilshonKing David Hotel bombingBattle of JerusalemTel AvivAmmanGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl Karak100 km31.777N, 35.230E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Jerusalem
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Jerusalem today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 765 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 380 to 854 m, 475 m of relief, steep country and today it is 78% built-up, 9% tree cover, 8% grassland.

built-up: 78%tree cover: 9%grassland: 8%shrubland: 2%built-up 78%tree cover 9%grassland 8%shrubland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km433 to 814 mnorth to south, 10.0 km673 to 819 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 24 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 597 BC

Siege of Jerusalem is one of 31 engagements of the 6th century BC in the atlas and one of 179 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1252915, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC), revision 1384816120, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.