[5] The successors had lost control of the lucrative trade routes between the northern and southern regions of Babylonia to the First Sealand dynasty which had detrimental economic ramifications.

[5] In c. 1595 BC, the Hittite king Mursili I invaded the region of southern Mesopotamia after having defeated the powerful neighbouring kingdom of Aleppo.

[6][5][1] However, the Hittites chose not to subjugate Babylon or the surrounding regions and instead withdrew from the conquered city up the Euphrates River to their homeland "Hatti-land".

[9] It is suggested that the successors of Hammurabi were either allied with Aleppo, or the sudden Hittite expansion indicates that their motives were "land, manpower, control of [trade] routes and access to valuable ore-deposits".

[5] The precise events that led to the Kassites coming to power are uncertain, with contemporary scholars labelling this period as a dark-age given the lack of primary evidence.

[1][6] However, it is known that following the Hittite's withdrawal from southern Mesopotamia the First Sealand dynasty under Gulkishar briefly captured and occupied the city of Babylon and the northern regions of Babylonia.

[4][5] The unification of Babylonia as a single centralised political entity enabled the Kassites to establish a sustained period of stability and economic prosperity for southern Mesopotamia.

[1] However, it is suggested that the city's location, where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers run closest indicates it was either to protect the lucrative trade routes in the region or to safeguard the kingdom against its imperialistic neighbours.

[4] For example, the Kassites frequently traded with Egypt and were known for their "horses, chariots and lapis lazuli and precious stones, bronze, silver, and oil".

[10] Whilst conversely, Asiatic princesses were commonly wedded to Egyptian royalty and nobility however, they were not considered as the primary partner and were instead part of the man's harem.

[6] The fall of the Kassite dynasty and end of Middle Babylonian period came in c. 1155 BC after continuous raids and invasions by their regional neighbours, the Assyrians and Elamites.

[1][12] The neighbouring Elamites, led by the king Kidin-Hudrudiš (also known as Kidin-Hutran), later on invaded Babylonia and sacked the cities of Nippur, Isin, Marad and Der, which resulted in discontentment toward the Assyrian regime.