Latest / The Achaemenid Empire: Persia's Golden Age of Power — Fexingo History / The Achaemenid Siege of Babylon: A City That Wouldn't Fall
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about Cyrus the Great in previous episodes — his rise, his cylinder, his tomb. But one story we haven't really dug into is how he actually took Babylon. And that's a wild story. Luna: Wait, I thought Babylon just sort of opened its gates to him? I've heard something about that. Lucas: That's partly true, but it's not the whole picture. In 539 BC, Babylon was the most heavily fortified city in the world. The walls were so massive that Herodotus claims a chariot could drive along the top — although that's probably an exaggeration. But archaeology confirms they were about eighty feet high and wide enough for two chariots to pass. Luna: Eighty feet? That's like an eight-story building. Lucas: Right. And the inner wall was even thicker. So Cyrus knew he couldn't take it by storm. But he also knew the city had weaknesses — political and religious tensions inside. The Babylonian king Nabonidus had alienated the powerful priesthood of Marduk by promoting the moon god Sin. So the priests were looking for a change. Lucas: Now, there's a key battle before the siege. At Opis, near modern Baghdad, Cyrus defeated the Babylonian army in the field. Then he took the city of Sippar without a fight. That put him on the doorstep of Babylon itself. Luna: Was that when the river diversion happened? Lucas: Exactly. The Euphrates River ran right through the center of Babylon, underneath those massive walls. Cyrus's engineers dug a canal upstream to drain the water level down. Then, on the night of October 12, 539 BC — we know the date from the Nabonidus Chronicle, a Babylonian cuneiform tablet — his troops waded in through the riverbed and entered the city. Luna: So they just walked under the walls? Lucas: Essentially, yes. The gates along the river had been left open — possibly by the priests who were on Cyrus's side. Herodotus says the Persians diverted the river into a lake, but Xenophon gives a simpler account of a sudden lowering of the water. Either way, the city fell almost without a fight. The Nabonidus Chronicle reports that Cyrus's general Gobryas entered first, and then Cyrus himself a few days later. Luna: What happened to the Babylonian king? Nabonidus? Lucas: He was captured and exiled, but not killed. That was typical for Cyrus — he preferred to win loyalty through mercy. His son, Belshazzar, was apparently killed during the takeover — that's the same Belshazzar from the biblical book of Daniel, where it says he saw the writing on the wall. Luna: Oh, so that story has a historical basis. Lucas: It does, though the Bible adds the supernatural element. The original cuneiform records just say the city was taken peacefully. And then Cyrus did something very clever: he presented himself not as a conqueror, but as a liberator. He publicly honored Marduk, the chief Babylonian god, and had prayers said in his name. The Cyrus Cylinder, which we covered in episode three, proclaims that Marduk chose Cyrus to restore order. Lucas: He also returned the statues of gods that Nabonidus had brought to Babylon, and allowed exiled peoples — including the Jews — to go back to their homelands. That's what earned him the title 'king of the four corners of the world.' Luna: So the actual siege was more of a political takeover than a military one. Lucas: Exactly. The military part was the engineering feat — diverting the Euphrates — which is remarkable in itself. But the real genius was that Cyrus had already won the psychological battle. The priests of Marduk wanted him. The people were tired of Nabonidus. So when the Persians entered through the riverbed, the gates were effectively open. Luna: And that's why Babylon is still standing today — well, its ruins, anyway. Lucas: Partly. Cyrus's policy of respecting local customs became a model for the whole Achaemenid Empire. It's part of why the Persians were so successful at ruling a multicultural empire. But the conquest of Babylon also marks the moment when Persia became the dominant power in the Middle East, absorbing Mesopotamian culture and wealth. It's a pivotal turning point. Luna: I'd love to see the actual route the soldiers took through the riverbed. Lucas: It's still there, more or less. The river has shifted, but you can trace the old course through the archaeological site. And there's even a moment in the Babylonian chronicles where it says 'the army of Cyrus entered Babylon without battle.' One of the shortest siege stories in history — and one of the most consequential.