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Polity

Neo-Babylonian Empire

Empires and Imperial States

The Neo-Babylonian Empire ruled from 626 to 539 BC, founded when Nabopolassar was crowned King of Babylon in November 626 BC after Babylon's successful revolt against Assyrian rule. Governed from the city of Babylon, it inherited much of the territory of the defeated Neo-Assyrian Empire and at its greatest extent, around 562 BC, covered approximately 500,000 square kilometers across Mesopotamia and the Levant, making it the last independent Mesopotamian empire ruled by native monarchs. Its golden age came under Nebuchadnezzar II, whose 43-year reign from 605 to 562 BC produced massive building projects in Babylon, including the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Street, alongside significant economic and population growth. The empire fell in 539 BC when the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great diverted the Euphrates River and entered Babylon without battle, and King Nabonidus surrendered; Babylon never successfully restored its independence despite five later revolts against Persian rule.

Facts
Government Type
Monarchy 1
Start Year
626 BCE 1
End Year
539 BCE 1
Government type (class)
Monarchy 1
Classification
Status (Extant or Former)
Former / Dissolved 1
FAQs

Why did the Neo-Babylonian Empire fall to Persia in 539 BC?

Nabonidus favoured the moon god Sîn over Marduk, and his religious policies became a pretext for Cyrus the Great to invade in 539 BC.

The sources point to religion as a key cause. The last Babylonian king, Nabonidus, favoured the moon god Sîn over Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon. These religious policies eventually gave the Persian king Cyrus the Great a pretext for war. Cyrus invaded Babylonia in 539 BC and portrayed himself as a champion of Marduk who was divinely restoring order to Mesopotamia. The empire was then conquered by the Achaemenid Persian Empire, less than a century after the Chaldean dynasty was founded.
Connections

Associated With

The Neo-Babylonian Period, Eras

In Era

Classical Antiquity, Eras
Source Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire

Preceded By

Neo-Assyrian Empire, Polities
Source Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire

Ruled By

Nabonidus, Historical Figures
Source Wikipedia: Nabonidus

Succeeded By

The Achaemenid Empire, Polities
Source Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire
In the Other Atlases

Government Type

Monarchy

Also in Society and Culture Atlas: the government type of this subject.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Neo-Babylonian Empire
Wikipedia
  • Founding section
    In November 626 BC, Nabopolassar was crowned King of Babylon, restoring Babylonia as an independent kingdom.
  • Infobox
    Government: Monarchy
  • Neo-Babylonian Empire: Status
    The empire fell in 539 BC when the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great diverted the Euphrates River and entered Babylon without battle, and King Nabonidus surrendered; Babylon never successfully restored its independence despite five later revolts against Persian rule.
  • Preceded By: Neo-Assyrian Empire
  • Succeeded By: The Achaemenid Empire
  • In Era: Classical Antiquity, lead paragraph and infobox, existence dates
    The Neo-Babylonian Empire or Second Babylonian Empire, historically known as the Chaldean Empire, was the last polity ruled by monarchs native to ancient Mesopotamia.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Nabonidus
Ruled By: NabonidusView the Source
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