Gilgamesh. 649 BC: Indabigash succeeds Tammaritu as a king of the Elamite Empire. 649 BC: Babylonian revolt under Shamash-shum-ukin is crushed by the Assyrians. 648 BC: Pankration becomes an event at the Ancient Olympic Games. April 6, 648 BC: Earliest Greek-chronicled solar eclipse. 647 BC: King Assurbanipal of Assyria sacks Susa. 642 BC: Ancus Marcius becomes king of Rome (traditional date). c.641 BC: Josiah becomes king of Judah. 640 BC: Decisive victory of Assyria over Elamite Empire; Assurbanipal captures its last king Khumma-Khaldash III, annexes Elam, and lays waste the country. 630s BC 632 BC: Cylon, Athenian noble, seizes the Acropolis in a failed attempt to become king. 632 BC: In the Battle of Chengpu, the Chinese kingdom of Jin and her allies defeat the kingdom of Chu and her allies. 631 BC: Founding of Cyrene, a Greek colony in Libya (North Africa) (approximate date). 631 BC: Sadyates becomes king of Lydia. 620s BC 627 BC: Death of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria; he is succeeded by Assur-etel-ilani (approximate date). 626 BC: Nabopolassar revolts against Assyria, founds the Neo-Babylonian Empire. 625 BC: Medes and Babylonians assert their independence from Assyria and attack Nineveh (approximate date). 623 BC: Sin-shar-ishkun succeeds his brother Assur-etel-ilani as king of Assyria (approximate date). 622 BC: Text of Deuteronomy found in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel said to be born this year. 610s BC 619 BC: Alyattes becomes king of Lydia. 619 BC: Death of King Xiang of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 618 BC: King Qing of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 616 BC: Lucius Tarquinius Priscus becomes king of Rome. 614 BC: Sack of Ashur by the Medes and Babylonians. 613 BC: Death of King Qing of Zhou, King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 612 BC: King Kuang of Zhou becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. 612 BC: An alliance of Medes, Babylonians and Susianians besiege and conquer Nineveh. King Sin-shar-ishkun of Assyria is killed in the sack. 612 BC: Ashur-uballit II attempts to keep the Assyrian empire alive by establishing himself as king at Harran. 612 BC: Babylon, capital of Babylonia becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Nineveh, capital of Assyria. 610 BC: Necho II succeeds Psammetichus I as king of Egypt. 600s BC 609 BC: King Josiah of Judah dies in the Battle of Megiddo