- published: 14 Nov 2013
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Opis (Akkadian Upî or Upija; Ancient Greek: Ὦπις) was an ancient Babylonian city on the Tigris, not far from modern Baghdad. The precise location of Opis has not been established, but from the Akkadian and Greek texts, it was located on the east bank of the Tigris, near the Diyala River.
Opis is mentioned for the first time at the beginning of second millennium BCE. In the 14th century BCE, it became the capital of an administrative region in Babylonia.
The Babylonians dug the "royal canal" between the Euphrates and the Tigris, which ended near Opis. Nebuchadnezzar built a wall between the two rivers to protect his country from a Median invasion, which also ended near Opis.
In October 539 BCE, Nabonidus defended Opis against the Persian Empire commanded by Cyrus the Great. The Babylonians were defeated and the native population revolted against its government. Without further fighting, Cyrus captured Babylon. Opis was included on the Persian Royal Road, which connected Elam's capital Susa with the Assyrian heartland and—later—the Lydian capital Sardis.