539 BC
Cyrus Conquers Babylon
Cyrus the Great takes Babylon and issues the famous Cylinder proclamation.
- Time period
- 539 BC
- Region
- Persia / Mesopotamia
- Theme
- Politics
- Civilization
- Achaemenid Empire
In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great of Persia captured Babylon without a prolonged siege. A clay cylinder inscribed in Akkadian presents him as a liberator who restored temples and let displaced peoples return home. It is often cited as an early statement of religious tolerance.