Seventh Century Before the Common Era

The seventh century before the common era was a period of one hundred years beginning in 700 BCE and ending in 601 BCE. It is counted as part of the later Iron Age in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The numbering of centuries before the common era follows a reverse pattern: the year numbers decrease as time moves further back.

This period was marked by the Neo-Assyrian Empire reaching its greatest territorial extent, followed by its collapse at the end of the century. At the same time, Greek city-states were expanding settlements across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, while in East Asia China was in the Spring and Autumn period.

Assyria and Babylon

The Assyrian kings of this century—including Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, and Ashurbanipal—ruled territory stretching from present-day Iraq to the Levant. Esarhaddon invaded Egypt, and Assyria is said to have ruled parts of northern Egypt for a brief period. The library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh contained clay tablets in cuneiform script, which remain an important source today for Mesopotamian literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh. At the end of the century, a coalition led by the New Babylonians and the Medes overthrew Assyria; Nineveh fell around 612 BCE.

The Middle East and Egypt

Egypt was ruled by the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty (Saite), with its capital at Sais, after Kushite rule and Assyrian pressure declined. The Kingdom of Judah faced attacks from Assyria, notably Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem. Parts of Hebrew biblical literature are thought to originate from this century.

Greece and the Western Mediterranean

Greek city-states established many colonies; systems of written law began to emerge, such as Draco's laws in Athens. Carthage strengthened its commercial dominance in the western Mediterranean, while Rome was still a small city under royal rule.