Babylon is a city that was part of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia is deemed by scholars for having been the place that civilization emerged from. Mesopotamia goes back to Neolithic times over 10,000 years ago. The city is now 55 miles south of modern city Baghdad.
On this day October 12th, in 539 BC, Persian ruler Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon. With brilliant military strategy Cyrus managed to conquer the unconquerable, as it was said that Babylon’s walls could not be penetrated, a true statement.
In a military engagement known as the Battle of Opis, Cyrus knew that they could never break the walls. So he waited until the Babylonians had a national feast where they would be unsuspecting of an attack. There was one entrance in through the Euphrates River, where someone would have to hold their breath and swim until the other side, virtually impossible. Cyrus had his men divert the water until the water was only at hip length. Cyrus took control of the city with virtually no fight. Babylon then came under the control of the Persian Empire.