What happened to the Babylonians? Mesopotamian Numbers and Mathematics Read more from Chapter The History of Mathematics

After the Amorites (a Semitic people) founded Babylon, there were several dynasties that ruled the area, including those associated with the famous king and law-maker, Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.). It was periodically taken over, including in 1594 B.C.E. by the Kassites and in the 12th century B.C.E.by the Assyrians. Through all the conquests, most of the Babylonian culture retained its own distinctiveness. With the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 612 B.C.E., the Babylonian culture bloomed, at least until its conquest by Cyris of Persia in 539 B.C.E. It eventually died out a short time after being conquered by Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.) in 331 B.C.E. (ironically, Alexander died in Babylon, unable to recover from a fever he contracted).