Episode 26 – The Last Kings of Babylon

“So it was that the Persians, who had once been the slaves of the Medes, became their masters.“ – Herodotus

Nebuchadnezzar II turned Babylon into the most magnificent city of the ancient world, but the Chaldean line dissipated in his wake.  Nabonidus’ fervent devotion to the moon god, Sin, served to spark a war and drive the Babylonian king into self-imposed Arabian exile.  The military and political skills of Cyrus, and a high-level Median betrayal, enabled the Persians to win the empire of Astyages.

Series References and Further Reading:

https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/TOS_References.pdf

14 thoughts on “Episode 26 – The Last Kings of Babylon

  1. Great! I was looking forward to seeing the Persians enter the stage. Thanks again for your continued work, quite simply excellent!

  2. Thanks again! Yep, now that the Persians have arrived, we're moving into the home stretch. Plenty of interesting history left to cover though! Thanks for listening

  3. I liked the Moses/Sargon/Romulus/Cyrus/Superman comparison. What an amazing coincidence that all these guys had almost the exact same upbringing! Haha. Keep up the good work

  4. Just came here to say that I love the podcast and have been a fan since episode one! In my opinion you are in the top two of all history podcasts on iTunes!

  5. Yeah, I first discussed the scenario with Sargon, way back in Episode 3. I was trying to find the reference I previously came across that pegged Cyrus as "matches most criteria for a great leader," but couldn't find it again. Regardless, interesting stuff! Thanks for listening

  6. Thanks a lot for stopping by, and for the great compliment – I really appreciate it! I only had a dozen or so listeners (mostly friends) until Mike Duncan pass around the link, so you are in elite company! Thanks for sticking it out until the end, I'm glad you're still enjoying it, and I'm hoping to work toward an ending that's satisfying for the listeners. For myself, I'm enjoying it just as much today as I did when I started (if not moreso). Tonight I get to write about the war between Croesus and Cyrus – how awesome is that! Thanks again for leaving the comment – Scott C.

  7. I remembering reading the same thing about Cyrus (maybe it was the same place as you) in a biography about Mithradites VI of Pontus called "The Poison King" There was a whole section that talked about the hero criteria (Mithradites also had a lot of hits) and Cyrus was #1

  8. You are exactly right! Thanks for reminding me, I just pulled that book back out. I think I'll post some of that info on the Facebook page. Thanks again! – Scott C.

  9. Hello Scott!
    I was hoping for a new episode, but since I'm here, I'll put in my two cents. I couldn't help notice another commenter said you were in the top two, likely a reference to Mike Duncan. I'd like to weigh in on that! You are both extraordinary story-tellers and, by far, the best I've heard. Second place is waayyy back, and a crowded field it is. TAW and HoR are different animals, so one can't be 'better', just a matter of taste. I believe if you decided to take TAW as far as HoR, you would easily have as large an audience. From a strictly selfish point of view, I wish you would. Scott's Magnum Opus! Has a nice ring to it. That's a lot to ask, I know, but one can hope….and hint.. Thanks for the the many hours of pleasure you've bestowed upon us!

  10. Hi SK! I'm always grateful when a listener drops a note, and always happy to be mentioned in the same breath as THoR. But thanks very much for letting me know the high regard in which you hold the series, it really means a lot to me. I really love making TAW, and am proud of the work, but it's always most rewarding when it really connects with a listener (like you!) As far as the series length – this last century just may last FOREVER! There's so much happening, that it's hard to move ahead more than 5 years or so an episode and still cover all the material I want to. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there are still at least 6 or 7 episodes left to go (and that's the first time I've admitted that!) After that – to be honest, this has pretty much been a half-time-plus job, in addition to my regular full-time job, over the past year, and I'm guessing at the very least, I'll need a good long break. But thanks again for the kind words, I really appreciate it. – Scott C.

  11. Thanks, interesting article! I came across that claim when researching the subject, and it's highly possible. There's another claim that the mad Chaldean king, portrayed as Nebuchadnezzar II in the Bible, was actually supposed to be Nabonidus. In the absence of good, written history, things often tend to get a bit muddled.

  12. “Wikipedia searches on their Akhenaten”
    Oh oh oh, I can’t imagine myself laughing more.

    Parallel to the Ancient WP you could/should thinking of making a satirical one.
    Your humour is super, I think!

    Best,

    Ivonna

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