Now if the Babylonians had known beforehand or learned what Cyrus was up to, they would have let the Persians enter the city and have destroyed them utterly; for then they would have shut all the gates that opened on the river and mounted the walls that ran along the river banks, and so caught their enemies in a trap.

But as it was, the Persians took them unawares, and because of the great size of the city (those who dwell there say) those in the outer parts of it were overcome, but the inhabitants of the middle part knew nothing of it; all this time they were dancing and celebrating a holiday which happened to fall then, until they learned the truth only too well.

And Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon, then for the first time, was taken in this way. I shall show how great the power of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon is by many other means, but particularly by this. All the land that the great King rules is parcelled out to provision him and his army, and pays tribute besides: now the territory of Babylon [44.4,32.55] (deserted settlement), Babil, Iraq, AsiaBabylon feeds him for four of the twelve months in the year, the whole of the rest of Asia (continent)Asia providing for the other eight.

Thus the wealth of Assyria is one third of the entire wealth of Asia (continent)Asia. The governorship of this land, which the Persians call “satrapy,” is by far the most powerful of all the governorships, since the daily income of Tritantaechmes son of Artabazus, who governed this province by the king's will, was an artaba full of silver

(the artaba is a Persian measure, containing more than an Attic medimnus by three Attic choenixes),The Attic medimnus = about 12 gallons; it contained 48xoi/nikes. and besides warhorses he had eight hundred stallions in his stables, and sixteen thousand brood mares, each stallion servicing twenty mares.