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There are two main traditions with regard to what happened to the ark after the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. The first one is that the ark was taken to Babylon by the conquerors, this comes from a Greek version of the Biblical Book of Ezra .<ref>1 Esdras 1:54 </ref>. Typically, during a siege, the victorious would loot a vanquished city of all its goods and riches. The ark which was plated with gold would have been regarded as a valuable prize. Moreover, it was a symbol of the Hebrews and by seizing it, Nebuchadnezzar was symbolically demonstrating his ascendency over them. At some point, the ark’s gold may have been stripped away and melted down and the ark destroyed. There is no evidence with regard to the fate of the shrine if it is was taken to the city. Babylon itself was later conquered by Cyrus the Great and his Persian army and the ark could have been destroyed at this time. However, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire was very well disposed to the Jews and he permitted them to return to the Land of Israel. It is likely that if the ark had been found in Babylon that, Cyrus would have bestowed it on the Jews. The other tradition with regard to the fate of the artifact that held the Ten Commandments was that it was hidden during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. There are references to the fate of the ark in the Book of Maccabees. It states that the ark was taken to Mount Nebo twenty miles south of Jerusalem, which was long associated with Moses and was believed to be the location where he died. This was done at the behest of the Prophet Jeremiah who predicted the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. According to one biblical source, the ark would be revealed when the Hebrews returned from exile <ref>2 Maccabees 2:4-10</ref> However, the Bible does not state what happened to the ark after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. It appears that they were no longer aware of its location, or else they would have placed it in the Second Temple that was built in Jerusalem. This has led to centuries of speculation as to the location of the tabernacle.