Babylonia was a Mesopotamian civilization that existed from 1895 BC to 539 BC, with Babylon serving as its capital. Babylonia originated with the Amorites, who were centered around the minor administrative town of Babylon. It greatly expanded during the reign of Hammurabi (1792 BC-1752 BC), and it was involved in rivalries with Assyria to the north and Elam to the east. However, the empire fell apart after Hammurabi's death and reverted to a small kingdom, and, in 1595 BC, the Hittites sacked Babylon, ending Amorite rule. The Kassites of the Zagros Mountains in Iran became the new Babylonian dynasty, and their rule lasted for 576 years. In 1155 BC, the Elamites conquered Babylon, which was reconquered by Nebuchadnezzar I not long after. From 1155 to 1026 BC, Babylon returned to native rule, but the Arameans deposed the ruling dynasty and ushered in a period of chaos from 1026 to 911 BC, during which there was no king for 20 years, and the Kassites briefly returned to power. The Chaldeans would later come to rule over Babylonia, and, in 911 BC, three centuries of foreign rule began due to the founding of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In 620 BC, Nabopolassar reconquered Babylonia, creating the Neo-Babylonian Empire. This new empire grew larger than ever, extending from Anatolia in the north to the Sinai Peninsula in the southwest, Arabia in the south, and even into Persia to the east. In 549 BC, however, Cyrus the Great rebelled against the Medes in Ecbatana and proceeded to conquer Babylon without fighting. In 539 BC, Babylonia was absorbed into the Persian Empire.
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