Fall of Babylon
The Ancients2 Nov 2025

Fall of Babylon

The year is 539 BC. The greatest city of the ancient world has fallen. Babylon has opened it's gates to a new conqueror: the mighty Persian king Cyrus the Great.


In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by friend of the show Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to uncover the dramatic fall of Babylon and the ascent of Persia’s Achaemenid empire. From the final decades of Babylonian rule to Cyrus’ blood-stained triumph and the city’s remarkable survival under a new regime, they discover how one of history’s most iconic capitals lost its crown - a seismic chapter in the tumultuous story of the Ancient Near East.


Watch this episode on our NEW YouTube channel: @TheAncientsPodcast


MORE

The Walls of Babylon

Cyrus the Great


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(595)

The Great Fire of Rome

The Great Fire of Rome

In July 64AD, the Great Fire of Rome tore across the city, and ultimately burnt two thirds of Rome to ashes before it could be bought under control. A devastating event that can still be seen in the a...

13 Apr 202341min

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom

Athena: Goddess of Wisdom

This episode contains graphic references of a sexual nature.Athena is the goddess of wisdom, tactical war and skilled craft in Greek mythology.She is the favourite daughter of Zeus and Metis, and is a...

9 Apr 202347min

Rise of the Assyrians

Rise of the Assyrians

At its pinnacle, the kingdom of Assyria stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf, a feat few could compare with in 660BCE. With Assyria's conquests documented by contemporary Greek his...

6 Apr 202341min

Alexandria: The Sunken City

Alexandria: The Sunken City

The Egyptian city of Alexandria was one of the greatest cities of the ancient Mediterranean world. Founded by Alexander the Great himself in 323BC, the metropolis was nurtured by his successors in Egy...

2 Apr 202336min

Troy

Troy

Often thought of as an ancient, mythical idea, immortalised in the works of Homer, it's hard to imagine Troy as real place. But when Heinrich Schliemann started excavations of the city in the late 19t...

30 Mar 202349min

Roman Beast Hunts

Roman Beast Hunts

This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence and cruelty against animals.The Romans were - and still are - infamous for the brutal gladiatorial contests they held in their ancient amphitheat...

26 Mar 202333min

Sardinia: Mysteries of the Bronze Age

Sardinia: Mysteries of the Bronze Age

Shrouded in mystery, the Nuragic culture was an enigmatic Bronze Age Civilisation that lived on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. With their name deriving from the Island's iconic fortress-like Nu...

23 Mar 202342min

Shetland: Edge of the Prehistoric World

Shetland: Edge of the Prehistoric World

Over 100 miles further than the northern reaches of Britain, beyond Orkney, are a remote group of islands that make up Shetland. It’s one of the best kept secrets of prehistoric Scotland, containing e...

19 Mar 202345min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-historiske-romanser
henrettelsespodden
rss-benadet
historier-som-endret-verden
sektledere
rss-frontkjemperne
aftenposten-historie
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
sannhet-eller-konspirasjon
rss-gamle-greier
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-katastrofe
undersattene
historiepodden-ww2
vare-historier
rss-historiepodden-ww2
historiepodden
med-egne-oyne