Babylonian Empire Prior to the rise of Persia, the Babylonians gained control by defeating the Assyrians in the year 612 BCE, and eventually took over their conquered territory. King Cyrus of Persia defeated them in 538. David Vanderhooft, a historian of the Babylonian Period, has argued that their military and governing tactics were as cruel and disruptive as the notorious Assyrians before them. For further reading, see Jill Middlemas, The Templeless Age: An Introduction to the History, Literature