HONOURABLE MENTION Reevaluating the Fall of Babylon

Abstract

Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon brought the cultural capital of the ancient world under a new universal empire, overthrew the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and ended the Jewish captivity. Despite its significance, inconsistencies between the two main sources on the event have created ambiguity around how exactly the city fell. While Herodotus describes a siege, the Nabonidus Chronicle implies the city surrendered, leaving the scholarship at a standstill. This article establishes a solution to the problem by identifying several striking parallels between the two supposedly contradicting narratives. In Herodotus, the Sippar basin and Cyrus’ absence during the city’s capture mirror the same locations and sequences of events described in the chronicle. Additionally, his reference to a festival when Babylon was taken is confirmed elsewhere. Both accounts ultimately reflect the same historical reality, leaving significant implications for the understanding of Cyrus’ broader military strategy and Herodotus as a source.