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Cyrus the Conqueror: How Persia Took Babylon Without a Fight
In 539 BCE, the great city of Babylon fell not to a siege or a bloody battle, but to a carefully orchestrated bloodless coup. This episode dives into the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great — how the Persian army diverted the Euphrates, marched into the city during a festival, and claimed the ancient capital without destroying it. We explore the strategic brilliance behind the campaign, the role of internal Babylonian discontent, and the propaganda that followed, including the famous Cyrus Cylinder. Along the way, we meet the last Babylonian king, Nabonidus, whose religious reforms…
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