Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, ancient

Battle of Opis

Battle of Opis was a battle fought in September 539 BC at Opis, in what is now Iraq. It was part of Cyrus the Great. The recorded result: Persian victory. Recorded strength: 50,000 troops (per Herodotus); 10,000 troops (other estimates) against 70,000 troops (per Herodotus).

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Map of Cyrus the Great's invasion of Babylonia in 539 BC
Map of Cyrus the Great's invasion of Babylonia in 539 BC. ChrisO, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
FoughtSeptember 539 BC
WhereOpis, Iraq33.181N, 44.700E
OutcomePersian victory
BelligerentsNeo-Babylonian EmpireagainstAchaemenid Empire
Casualties and lossesHeavyandUnknown
Part ofCyrus the Great

Where it sits in Cyrus the Great

Battle of Pteria, 547 BCBattle of Thymbra, 547 BCBattle of Opis, 539 BC547 BC539 BCBattle of Opis, 539 BC
3 placed engagements of Cyrus the Great in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

DateSeptember 539 BC (month precision)
PlaceOpis, Iraq
33.181N, 44.700E
KindBattle, ancient
Territorial changePersian army captures Opis and Sippar
Strength50,000 troops (per Herodotus); 10,000 troops (other estimates)70,000 troops (per Herodotus)
Casualties and lossesHeavyUnknown
Commanders
  • Nabonidus
  • Belshazzar
  • Cyrus II
  • Gobryas (general)
Battle of OpisBattle of OpisBattle of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonSiege of CtesiphonSiege of MaiozamalchaSiege of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonBattle of CtesiphonBaghdadNajafAl HillahKarbalaAl KutBaqubahAl FallujahIlam100 km33.181N, 44.700E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 539 BC

Battle of Opis is one of 31 engagements of the 6th century BC in the atlas and one of 206 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3434300, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Opis, revision 1378908453, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.