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Jonah prophesied against Nineveh in 760 BC but the people heeded God's warning and repented, saving their city. After they fell away again, Nahum issued another warning, which they did not heed and the city was destroyed in 612 BC. The site of Nineveh was excavated in the 1800s and archaeologists confirmed there was a layer of ash covering the ruins. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: "Nineveh suffered a defeat from which it never recovered. Extensive traces of ash, representing the sack of the city by Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes in 612 BC, have been found in many parts of the Acropolis. After 612 BC the city ceased to be important."