re was nothing small about his military exploits. Nebuchadnezzar would be tested time and again on the battlefield, and he performed in spectacular fashion every time. It is amazing to consider that Nebuchadnezzar was still a young man when his father, Nabopolassar, gave him commission of the Babylonian army. As Berosus tells us, "...still in the prime of life, and sent him against the rebel, Nebuchadnezzar engaged and defeated the latter in a pitched battle, and placed the district under Babylonian rule." This battle refers to one of many fought between the young Babylonian prince and the city-states of northern Syria in the years 607-605 BC. These victories were essential for Babylonian control of the eastern Mediterranean coast. Like the Assyrian empire before them, the Babylonians needed to command this region for several reasons. First, the Babylonians had made a treaty with a newly emerging empire to the east, known as the Medians. This treaty was sealed when the young prince Nebuchadnezzar was married to Amytis, granddaughter of the Median king, Cyaxares. Thus, the Babylonians could more easily impose their will upon the states to the west than those to the east. Second, trade was essential to the Babylonians, later especially, as they were in a constant rebuilding process. The eastern Mediterranean was the outlet to a complex trade system uniting states around the world. In this way, states that could not easily obtain resources were now able to trade for them. Thus, dominance of the Mediterranean coastline would enable the Babylonians access to worldwide trade.
             In 607, Palestine was under Egyptian control after the Pharaoh Necho II defeated Josiah, king of Judah, and established a puppet monarchy there. Consequently, the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar began a series of attempts to outflank the newly formed Assyrian-Egyptian alliance. However, his efforts were unsuccessful. And yet, in 605, he managed to defeat the c...