How did the Medes divide former Assyrian lands with the Babylonians?

Following the collapse of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the Medes and the Babylonians formed an alliance to divide the former Assyrian territories. While cuneiform sources are relatively silent on the specific terms of this partition, historical evidence suggests a general division based on geography:1

• Babylonians: They fell heir to the Assyrian holdings within the Fertile Crescent, effectively securing control over the Mesopotamian heartland.1
• Medes: They took control of the highland areas. This included territories in eastern Anatolia that had previously been part of Urartu.1

Although some accounts suggest the Medes took control of Harran, other records indicate that the Babylonians, specifically under Nabonidus, later secured the surrender of Harran from Median rule. This division established a new balance of power in the Middle East among the Medes, Babylonians, Lydians, and Egyptians.2341