A certain Hagisa became king of Babylon for a month.

Finally, Merodach-Baladan, again appeared upon the scene, having escaped from his Assyrian prison, murdered Hagisa, and remounted the throne from which he had been deposed seven years previously.

But the brave effort to recover independence failed.

Sennacherib in his second year, B.C.703, descended upon Babylonia, defeated the army which Merodach-Baladan brought against him, drove that monarch himself into exile, after a reign of six months, and re-attached his country to the Assyrian crown.

From this time to the revolt of Nabopolassar--a period of above three quarters of a century--Babylonia with few and brief intervals of revolt, continued an Assyrian fief.