539 BCEReputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented
The Fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great
On the timeline · around 539 BCE ·
What happened
In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great of Persia captured Babylon, ending the Neo-Babylonian Empire and absorbing Mesopotamia into the vast Persian Empire. The Cyrus Cylinder records his version of the conquest and his policies toward the conquered.
Why it matters
It ended three thousand years of Mesopotamian self-rule. The heartland that had invented cities, writing and law would never again be an independent power.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Cyrus the Great · Reputable source
- British Museum. The Cyrus Cylinder · Reputable source
Related timelines
- Ancient Greece → — Persia's rise set the stage for its later clash with Greece