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It's been a long seven weeks — and a lot happened in each of the five Ashes Tests as Australia retained the Urn but fell just short of winning their first series in England.
There's been some controversy, which might be the understatement of the year, but there's also been some sparkling cricket played across the board.
Here's what went down in each of the five thrilling Tests.
First Test: Captain Pat leads Australia to thrilling win
Amid a maelstrom of hype befitting any Ashes series in history, Australia strode into the furnace at Edgbaston full of confidence after being crowned World Test champions the week before.
This was one of the most highly anticipated Ashes series in decades, partly down to England's phenomenal record since Brendon McCullum took over, going from a side with one win in 17 Tests to one that had claimed 11 wins in their next 13.
England had gone about their cricket in an entirely new way, scoring freely and taking the attack to the opposition.
So when Zak Crawley hammered the first ball of the series to the ropes with a thunderous cover drive, the tone was set.
England reached 8-393, with Joe Root unbeaten on 118 before stunningly declaring with 20 minutes to bat before the close.
It was Bazball at its diabolical, chaotic best. But it didn't quite pay off.
Usman Khawaja scored a century and a half-century — batting on all five days of the Test to help Australia edge towards England's total.
But in the wash-up, it was Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon who stood tallest for Australia in a thrilling finish.
The Aussies chased down 281 with just two wickets left inside the final five overs on the last day.
Cummins scored an unbeaten 44 as he and Nathan Lyon (16*) put on 55 for the ninth wicket to cap an incredible victory and get Australia's defence of the Urn off to a flyer.
Australia won by 2 wickets. Australia led 1-0.
Second Test: A ruckus at Lord's
The Lord's Test is always an historic one, but this one will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
This was another example of England's Bazball approach not quite coming off.
England endured multiple collapses, as they lost 3-34 late on day two and 6-46 on day three, halting what could have been a procession towards a first-innings lead, instead stumbling to a 91-run deficit.
In the middle of all that, Nathan Lyon limped off the field with a series-ending injury — adding another degree of incredulity to England's baffling collapse.
Nevertheless, after England bowled Australia out for 279 in their second innings, the match was set up nicely for England to mount a chase of 371.
However, another incredibly tight Test match exploded into acrimony on day five.
Jonny Bairstow was stumped by Alex Carey after the latter threw down the stumps when the England batter wrongly believed the ball was dead.
His dismissal sparked an uproar of the like never seen at Lord's before.
Boos rang down from the stands. The Australian team were heckled as they walked through the venerable Long Room by the MCC members. The atmosphere was ugly.
Ben Stokes, meanwhile, went into attack mode, smacking balls left, right and centre in a stunning innings of 155, with nine sixes and nine fours amidst the carnage.
It was not enough though.
Australia won by 41 runs. Australia led 2-0.
Third Test: England hit back at fortress Headingley
Only one team had ever come back from 2-0 down to win a five-Test series. England wanted to make that two — and gave a thrilling account of themselves at Headingley in Leeds.
The hosts made two significant changes to their side as Mark Wood and Chris Woakes came in.
The most immediate impact, though, was Mitch Marsh, who scored a magnificent century — the only Australian to score more than 40 in the first innings as Wood took 5-34 with extreme pace.
For England, it was a familiar face to help save their blushes, Ben Stokes's 80 taking England to within 26 runs in their first innings — helped by 24 runs off eight balls from Wood.
England needed 251 to win — and thanks to Harry Brook's 75, they almost got there before he was out.
Brook had batted the first innings at number three, but Moeen Ali said he would be better served up at the top of the order to free Brook up to play his natural game.
It worked.
When he was out, there was still work to do, but new boys Woakes and Wood combined for a 24-run partnership to see England over the line.
England won by three wickets. Australia led 2-1.
Fourth Test: Rain rescues Australia at Old Trafford
England arrived in Manchester trailing in the series but with all the momentum on their side.
After being sent in to bat yet again, Australia kept on threatening to get on top of the match.
David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne put on 46 together, then Warner got out for 32. Labuschagne refocused alongside Steve Smith for 59 runs, then Smith went for 41. Travis Head hung out with Labuschagne for 63 balls before Labuschagne went for 51.
And on and on it went.
Six batters reached 32, but no-one got past 51. So many chances gone begging.
It might not have been so bad had England not so efficiently capitalised once they got out there.
Powered by opener Zak Crawley's phenomenal 189 off 182 and half-centuries to five other players, so-called Bazball really arrived in the Ashes as England rattled along at almost a run a ball en route to a whopping 592.
They also got them at such a clip so as to have more than two days to bowl Australia out for a potential innings victory.
But the famous English weather arrived at an opportune time for Australia, with only one of the last six sessions being played as rain hammered down on Manchester.
It was enough time for Labuschagne to get his only century of the series, as he and Marsh denied England's bowlers during an awkward afternoon on day four.
Day five was spent watching rain radars and groundskeepers before play was finally abandoned and Cummins came out from the sheds to talk about the "bittersweet" trophy retention time and time again.
Match drawn. Australia's 2-1 lead became insurmountable.
Fifth Test: England squares series that goes down to the wire
Heading to The Oval, Australia was the only team that could win the series, but England was desperate to avoid a 3-1 loss.
And of course, it made for another enthralling contest that went down to the final session of the final day of the final Test of the series.
Cummins won his first toss and did what England had done to him so many times, sending the opposition in to bat, although it didn't exactly pan out.
England scored at more than five runs an over yet again, and while 283 runs inside 55 overs could be demoralising, the fact was Australia had bowled them out just after tea on day one.
Again, the pace set by England gave Australia the freedom to bat as slowly as they liked, and boy did they abuse that freedom.
Almost as if to prove a point about traditional Test values, Australia went at less than half the pace of England for most of their dig, thanks mostly to Marnus Labuschagne's 82-ball nine.
The tourists looked perhaps less convincing than their hosts, but when all was said and done, they had a 12-run lead after the first innings.
In the second dig, England again got contributions all over their batting line-up, with five of the top six going past 40, Joe Root getting 91, and Crawley and Bairstow notching 70s.
They set Australia 384 runs to win, which would have been the eighth-highest successful chase in Test history, and they went close.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner put on the first century opening partnership of the series at the last time of asking, leaving Australia in a golden position at 0-135, needing 246 more to win on day five after rain wiped out the second half of day four.
After losing 3-29 in the opening overs, Steve Smith and Travis Head once again looked like the pair to steer Australia to a famous Test and series victory, but their 95-run pairing ended with Head nicking off to Moeen Ali straight after Smith reached 50.
Both batters fell in a 5-30 collapse led by Ali and Chris Woakes, the former of whom came out of retirement and was bowling with a groin injury, and the latter having missed selection for the first two Tests.
After that, the only thing left was for England great Stuart Broad, who announced his retirement at stumps on day three, to come in and clean up the final two wickets to win the match and tie a series that really deserved to finish even.
England won by 49 runs. Series was tied 2-2 and Australia retained the Ashes.
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