This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Moreschi (talk | contribs) at 21:24, 26 September 2008 (Unprotected Battle of Opis: no, no, and no again. Admin neutrality does not mean we stick our heads in the sand). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 21:24, 26 September 2008 by Moreschi (talk | contribs) (Unprotected Battle of Opis: no, no, and no again. Admin neutrality does not mean we stick our heads in the sand)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Battle of Opis | |||||||||
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| Part of the Wars of Cyrus the Great | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Neo-Babylonian Empire | Achaemenid Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Nabonidus of Babylonia, Belshazzar of Babylonia, unknown others |
Cyrus the Great, Gubaru of Babylonia, unknown others | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Unknown, civilians? | Light | ||||||||
| Campaigns of Cyrus the Great | |
|---|---|
| Battles against the Satraps
Invasion of Anatolia Invasion of Babylonia |
The Battle of Opis, fought in September 539 BC, was the second and final engagement, between the forces of Cyrus the Great of Persia led by his son, and Nabonidus of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. It followed an earlier battle on the Tigris said to have taken place some time in February 539 BC.As the gateway to the Babylonian heartland, Cyrus had to go through Opis and the Babylonian king, Nabonidus, knew it. In anticipation of Cyrus' arrival, Nabonidus had stationed the bulk of his army at Opis under the command of his son, Belshazzar, and had the bridge leading to Opis destroyed. So Cyrus built a pontoon bridge and, after crossing the river, laid siege to Opis' defensive "Median Walls." After a ferocious battle, the forces of Cyrus captured Opis.
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