The Battle of the Tigris, fought in February-March 539 BC, was the first major hostile action between the armies of Persia under Cyrus the Great and the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nabonidus during the Persian invasion of Mesopotamia. At the time, Babylonia was the last major power in western Asia that was not yet under Persian control. The battle was fought south of the river branch of the Diyala (Gyndes), in the Uruk region. It resulted in the likely defeat for the Babylonian army, which caused Nabonidus to retreat south to deport the gods from their temples as protection from Cyrus. Which also caused an unrest among the population.
Eventhough he went to Babylon in 543 BC, it took Nabonidus until 539 BC to officially prepare for Cyrus when he organized an army for the Battle of Opis. There he would suffer the same fate he had in this battle. At the time, the Babylonians lacked manpower and determination, which Cyrus took advantage of. Seeing no allies aiding Babylon, he and an advance force, when being once delayed at the Gyndes crossing, made quick work of the border troops on the Tigris. Which as a result, led to the decisive victory in Opis, and to the eventual Babylonian conquest.
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