新巴比伦王国（前626年－前539年），由迦勒底人所建，大约处于古代美索不达米亚南部。公元前626年建立，在尼布甲尼撒二世统治时国势达到鼎峰，最后在公元前539年被波斯人消灭。
建立
新巴比伦王国由迦勒底人建立，迦勒底人是闪米特人的一支，他们于公元前1000年代初来到两河流域南部定居，随后亚述帝国征服并统治了两河流域南部，迦勒底人曾多次起义反抗亚述的统治。
公元前626 年，亚述人派迦勒底人领袖那波帕拉沙尔率军驻守巴比伦，他到巴比伦后，却发动反对亚述统治的起义，建立新巴比伦王国，并与伊朗高原的米底王国联合，共同对抗亚述。公元前612年，亚述帝国结束，遗产被新巴比伦王国及米底王国瓜分，其中新巴比伦王国分取了亚述帝国的西半壁河山，即两河流域南部、叙利亚、巴勒斯坦及腓尼基。
强盛期
公元前604年，尼布甲尼撒二世即位，叙利亚立时归顺新巴比伦王国，但腓尼基及巴勒斯坦地区态度不明，而埃及一向觊觎此区，拉拢推罗、西顿等腓尼基地区与埃及结盟。对此，尼布甲尼撒二世继续与米底王国结盟，又娶米底公主阿米蒂斯为后，以巩固自己后方。公元前597年，出兵巴勒斯坦，攻占耶路撒冷，扶植犹太人齐德启亚为傀儡统治犹太人。
公元前590年，埃及法老普萨姆提克出兵巴勒斯坦，推罗国王投靠埃及，西顿被占领，犹太人齐德启亚及巴勒斯坦、外约旦等地纷纷倒向埃及。同时，米底王国与新巴比伦王国的关系紧张起来，为此新巴比伦王国筑起一条新长城防范米底人。然而，米底因要对抗乌拉尔图及西徐亚人，无力再与新巴比伦王国对抗，致使尼布甲尼撒二世可于公元前587年第二次挥军巴勒斯坦。他围困犹太人的圣城耶路撒冷，齐德启亚突围失败，落入新巴比伦王国军队之手，被挖去双眼后送往巴比伦尼亚。公元前586年，耶路撒冷被围十八个月后城陷，居民被俘往巴比伦尼亚，史称“巴比伦之囚”。
尼布甲尼撒二世又围攻腓尼基的推罗，不果。公元前574年，双方议和，推罗国王伊托巴尔三世承认尼布甲尼撒二世为尊者，保持了推罗的自治地位，其他附近的小王国都纷纷向尼布甲尼撒二世称臣、公元前569年，埃及发生王位之争，尼布甲尼撒二世曾趁此在公元前567年入侵埃及，结果不详，但迫使埃及放弃侵略巴勒斯坦的野心。
尼布甲尼撒二世统治时的巴比伦城市图
尼布甲尼撒二世对巴比伦城进行入大模模建设，使巴比伦城成为当时世上最繁华的城市，也是中东最重要的工商业城市。巴比伦城以两道围墙围绕．外墙以外，还有一道注满了水的壕沟及一道土堤，城内的主干道中央以白色及玫瑰色石板铺成，另城有八个城门，其中的北门就是著名的伊丝达尔门，表面用青色琉璃砖装饰，砖上有许多公牛和神话中的怪物等浮雕。巴比伦城被建设得宏伟壮丽，直到100多年后，希腊历史学家，被称为“历史之父”的希罗多德来到巴比伦城时，仍称它为世界上最壮丽的城市。
尼布甲尼撒二世的杰作，古代世界七大奇观之一，空中花园
尼布甲尼撒二世还在巴比伦城为米底来的王后兴建“空中花园”，令米底的公主不再有思乡之苦。该花园位于底格里斯河边，据狄奥多拉记载，花园每边长120米左右，呈正方形，花园内满是奇花异草，并用螺旋泵不断地从幼发拉底河里取水作灌溉。这个花园远看起来就像位于天空中般，因此被称为空中花园。内里亦有着富丽堂皇的宫殿，使得尼布甲尼撒二世和王后可以在宫殿里饱览全城的景色。这个空中花园名满天下，被后世誉为古代世界七大奇观之一，空中花园被毁于公元前三世纪。
新巴比伦王国时期的奴隶制度也有了更大的发展，
(这一段真是太非理了,因为当有了资产就不能做奴隶了,奴隶本来是无产阶级.所以可说,这样的社会是幻想社会无实的,请维基检查!)。然而，大多数的奴隶的处境仍然是很不好，从保存下来的司法文件中，奴隶否认自己是奴隶的身分，还以逃亡形式进行反抗，所以买卖奴隶时，卖主必须向买主保证奴隶不逃亡。除奴隶外，社会上主要的生产者是自由民，他们租佃王室、神庙及个别奴隶主的土地，而且往往还要额外租用牲畜、种子和农具，他们也同时是当时的被剥削者。
覆亡
尼布甲尼撒二世死后不久，国内阶级矛盾及民族矛盾加剧，最后一个国王那波尼达统治时，国王及马尔杜克神庙之间的矛盾加剧，并试图另立新神，那波尼达离开首都，以其子伯沙撒摄政。公元前539年，波斯人崛起，居鲁士二世率军入侵新巴比伦王国时，祭司竟打开大门放波斯军队入城，伯沙撒被杀，那波尼达被俘，新巴比伦王国不战而亡。
考古发现
19世纪下半叶，在巴格达附近发掘出很多泥版和圆柱，使人对古巴比伦的历史认识大增。其中之一是深具价值的一份文献，称为拿波尼度编年史，现今收藏于大英博物馆。巴比伦王拿波尼度曾与儿子伯沙撒共同摄政。但他比儿子活得更久，后者于公元前539年10月5日的晚上在居鲁士手下的军队攻陷巴比伦时被杀。拿波尼度编年史就巴比伦的陷落提供一项注明日期的记录，帮助确定事件发生的时间。以下是拿波尼度编年史一小部分的翻译：“塔斯利都月(提斯利月（9/10 月）)，居鲁士在底格里斯河的俄庇斯袭击阿卡得的军队。……月中第14日，西巴尔不战而降，拿波尼度逃离该城。第16日(儒略历公元前539年10月11 日；格雷果里历10月5日)古提恩的总督戈布利亚（乌格巴鲁）连同居鲁士的军队不用动刀便进入巴比伦城。其后，拿波尼度在返回巴比伦时被捕。……亚拉沙姆努月(赫舍万月（10/11月）)第3日［儒略历10月28日］，居鲁士进入巴比伦，居民将青绿的树枝铺在他脚前——他宣布‘和平’(sulmu)临到城中。居鲁士向巴比伦全境致意。他的总督戈布利亚在巴比伦设立（辅）总督。”
新巴比伦王列表
* 那波帕拉沙尔 (Nabopolassar) 公元前626年 - 公元前605年
* 尼布甲尼撒二世 (Nebuchadnezzar II) 公元前605年 - 公元前562年
* 以未米罗达 (Evil-Merodach/Amel-Marduk) 公元前562年 - 公元前560年
* 涅里格利沙尔 (Neriglissar/Nergal-sharezer) 公元前560年 - 公元前556年
* 拉巴施马尔杜克 (Labashi-Marduk) 公元前556年
* 那波尼达 (Nabonidus) 公元前556年 - 公元前539年
* 伯沙撒 (Belshazzar) 摄政王，公元前553年或前549年 - 公元前539年
Through the centuries of Assyrian domination, Babylonia enjoyed a prominent status, or revolted at the slightest indication that it did not. The Assyrians always managed to restore Babylonian loyalty, however, whether through granting of increased privileges, or militarily. That finally changed in 627 BC with the death of the last strong Assyrian ruler, Assurbanipal, and Babylonia rebelled under Nabopolassar the Chaldean the following year. With help from the Medes, Nineveh was sacked in 612 BC, and the seat of empire was again transferred to Babylonia.
Nabopolassar was followed by his son Nebuchadnezzar II, whose reign of 43 years made Babylon once more the mistress of the civilized world, including the conquering of Phoenicia in 585 BC. Only a small fragment of his annals has been discovered, relating to his invasion of Egypt in 567 BC, and referring to "Phut of the Ionians".
Of the reign of the last Babylonian king, Nabonidus (Nabu-na'id), and the conquest of Babylonia by Cyrus, there is a fair amount of information available. This is chiefly derived from a chronological tablet containing the annals of Nabonidus, supplemented by another inscription of Nabonidus where he recounts his restoration of the temple of the Moon-god at Harran; as well as by a proclamation of Cyrus issued shortly after his formal recognition as king of Babylonia. It was in the sixth year of Nabonidus (549 BC) that Cyrus, the Achaemenid Persian "king of Anshan" in Elam, revolted against his suzerain Astyages, "king of the Manda" or Medes, at Ecbatana. Astyages' army betrayed him to his enemy, and Cyrus established himself at Ecbatana, thus putting an end to the empire of the Medes. Three years later Cyrus had become king of all Persia, and was engaged in a campaign in northern Mesopotamia. Meanwhile, Nabonidus had established a camp in the desert, near the southern frontier of his kingdom, leaving his son Belshazzar (Belsharutsur) in command of the army.
In 539 BC Cyrus invaded Babylonia. A battle was fought at Opis in the month of June, where the Babylonians were defeated; and immediately afterwards Sippara surrendered to the invader. Nabonidus fled to Babylon, where he was pursued by Gobryas, and on the 16th day of Tammuz, two days after the capture of Sippara, "the soldiers of Cyrus entered Babylon without fighting." Nabonidus was dragged from his hiding-place, where the services continued without interruption. Cyrus did not arrive until the 3rd of Marchesvan (October), Gobryas having acted for him in his absence. Gobryas was now made governor of the province of Babylon, and a few days afterwards the son of Nabonidus died. A public mourning followed, lasting six days, and Cambyses accompanied the corpse to the tomb.
Cyrus now claimed to be the legitimate successor of the ancient Babylonian kings and the avenger of Bel-Marduk, who was assumed to be wrathful at the impiety of Nabonidus in removing the images of the local gods from their ancestral shrines to his capital Babylon. Nabonidus, in fact, had excited a strong feeling against himself by attempting to centralize the religion of Babylonia in the temple of Merodach (Marduk) at Babylon, and while he had thus alienated the local priesthoods, the military party despised him on account of his antiquarian tastes. He seems to have left the defense of his kingdom to others, occupying himself with the more congenial work of excavating the foundation records of the temples and determining the dates of their builders.
The invasion of Babylonia by Cyrus was doubtless facilitated by the existence of a disaffected party in the state, as well as by the presence of foreign forced exiles like the Jews, who had been planted in the midst of the country. One of the first acts of Cyrus accordingly was to allow these exiles to return to their own homes, carrying with them the images of their god and their sacred vessels. The permission to do so was embodied in a proclamation, whereby the conqueror endeavored to justify his claim to the Babylonian throne. The feeling was still strong that none had a right to rule over western Asia until he had been consecrated to the office by Bel and his priests; and accordingly, Cyrus henceforth assumed the imperial title of "King of Babylon."