Fall of Babylon

Cyrus the Great of Persia captured Babylon, one of the ancient world's greatest cities, from King Nabonidus. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Persians diverted the Euphrates River, which flowed under the city walls, and entered along the dry riverbed while the Babylonians celebrated a festival. Cyrus presented himself as a liberator chosen by Babylon's god Marduk. He freed the captive Jewish population, earning praise in the Hebrew Bible. The Cyrus Cylinder, found in Babylon, is sometimes called the first declaration of human rights.