c. 597 BCE
The Babylonian army, led by Nebuchadnezzar II, captures Jerusalem c. 597 BCE and deposes King Jehoiachin exiling him to Babylon. In his place, the Babylonians installed Mattaniah, as a puppet king, changing his name to Zedekiah, a vassal king meant to be loyal to Babylon. Zedekiah would later rebel against Babylon, leading to the final destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE.
Although there are other dates quoted, this date comes from the Babylonian Chronicle BM 21946, a cuneiform tablet recording the campaigns of Babylonian kings. The chronicle states that:Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and the city surrendered on the 2nd day of the month Adar in Nebuchadnezzar’s 7th regnal year. When converted from the Babylonian calendar to the modern calendar, that date corresponds to March 16, 597 BC.
