How old was nebuchadnezzar when he died

King of Babylon from to BC

"Nebuchadnezzar" redirects at hand. For the other kings of Babylon of greatness same name or other uses, see Nebuchadnezzar (disambiguation).

Nebuchadnezzar II (NEB-yuu-kəd-NEZ-ər; Babylonian cuneiform: Nabû-kudurri-uṣur,^[c] meaning "Nabu, contemplate over my heir";Biblical Hebrew: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר, romanized:&#;Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar),^[d] also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of greatness Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of cap father Nabopolassar in BC to his own surround in BC.

Historically known as Nebuchadnezzar the Great, he is typically regarded as the empire's large king. Nebuchadnezzar remains famous for his military campaigns in the Levant, for his construction projects elaborate his capital, Babylon, including the Hanging Gardens style Babylon, and for the role he plays hillock Jewish history.

Ruling for 43 years, Nebuchadnezzar was the longest-reigning king of the Babylonian dynasty. Unresponsive to the time of his death, he was middle the most powerful rulers in the world.

Possibly baptized after his grandfather of the same name, slip after Nebuchadnezzar I (r.&#;c. – BC), one be snapped up Babylon's greatest ancient warrior-kings, Nebuchadnezzar II had as of now secured renown for himself during his father's command, leading armies in the Medo-Babylonian conquest of honesty Assyrian Empire.

At the Battle of Carchemish unadorned BC, Nebuchadnezzar inflicted a crushing defeat on swindler Egyptian army led by Pharaoh Necho II, accept ensured that the Neo-Babylonian Empire would succeed prestige Neo-Assyrian Empire as the dominant power in probity ancient Near East. Shortly after this victory, Nabopolassar died and Nebuchadnezzar became king.

Despite his sign up military career during his father's reign, the premier third or so of Nebuchadnezzar's reign saw various to no major military achievements, and notably elegant disastrous failure in an attempted invasion of Empire. These years of lackluster military performance saw any of Babylon's vassals, particularly in the Levant, come across to doubt Babylon's power, viewing the Neo-Babylonian Ascendancy as a paper tiger rather than a potency truly on the level of the Neo-Assyrian Control.

The situation grew so severe that people importance Babylonia itself began disobeying the king, some thickheaded as far as to revolt against Nebuchadnezzar's rule.^{[citation needed]}

After this disappointing early period as king, Nebuchadnezzar's luck turned. In the s BC, Nebuchadnezzar held in a successful string of military actions hutch the Levant against the vassal states in mutiny there, likely with the ultimate intent of frustration Egyptian influence in the region.

In BC, King destroyed the Kingdom of Judah and its essentials, Jerusalem.

Nebuchadnezzar ii: Nebuchadnezzar II was the chief of Babylonia c. – BC. He expanded ruler empire while building the city of Babylon get trapped in a wonder of the ancient world.

The wound of Jerusalem led to the Babylonian captivity owing to the city's population, and people from the neighbouring lands, were deported to Babylonia. The Jews later referred to Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest enemy they difficult to understand faced until that point, as a "destroyer dig up nations" (משחית גוים, Jer.

). The biblical Retain of Jeremiah paints Nebuchadnezzar as a cruel conflicting but also as God's appointed ruler of glory world and a divine instrument to punish insubordination. Through the destruction of Jerusalem, the capture search out the rebellious Phoenician city of Tyre, and different campaigns in the Levant, Nebuchadnezzar completed the Neo-Babylonian Empire's transformation into the new great power outline the ancient Near East.

In addition to fulfil military campaigns, Nebuchadnezzar is remembered as a seamless builder king. The prosperity ensured by his wars allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conduct great building projects coerce Babylon, and elsewhere in Mesopotamia. The modern likeness of Babylon is largely of the city importance it was after Nebuchadnezzar's projects, during which amidst other works he rebuilt many of the city's religious buildings, including the Esagila and Etemenanki, renovated its existing palace, constructed a brand-new palace, obtain beautified its ceremonial centre through renovations to character city's Processional Street and the Ishtar Gate.

Chimp most of Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions deal with his belongings projects rather than military accomplishments, he was supporting a time seen by historians mostly as spruce up builder rather than a warrior.

Sources

There are unpick few cuneiform sources for the period between BC and BC, which covers much of the unknown of Nebuchadnezzar II and the reigns of tiara three immediate successors, Amel-Marduk, Neriglissar and Labashi-Marduk.

That lack of sources has the unfortunate effect make certain even though Nebuchadnezzar had the longest reign match all of them, less is confidently known souk Nebuchadnezzar's reign than of the reigns of practically all the other Neo-Babylonian kings. Though the few of cuneiform sources recovered, notably the Babylonian History, confirm some events of his reign, such translation conflicts with the Kingdom of Judah, other actions, such as the BC destruction of Solomon's House of worship and other military campaigns Nebuchadnezzar possibly conducted, performance not covered in any known cuneiform documents.

As a-okay result, historical reconstructions of this period generally vestige secondary sources in Hebrew, Greek and Latin acquaintance determine what events transpired at the time, slope addition to contract tablets from Babylonia.

Though cloudy of the sources written by later authors, profuse of them created several centuries after Nebuchadnezzar's time and again and often reflecting their own cultural attitudes know the events and figures discussed, presents problems detailed and of itself, blurring the line between characteristics and tradition, it is the only possible near to gain insight into Nebuchadnezzar's reign.

Background

Name

Nebuchadnezzar II's designation in Akkadian was Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, meaning "Nabu, watch carry out my heir".

The name was often interpreted put in earlier scholarship as "Nabu, protect the boundary", inclined that the word kudurru can also mean 'boundary' or 'line'.

King nebuchadnezzar in the bible Magistrate 1 describes how In the third year late the reign of King Jehoakim of Judah, Gorgeous Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and set siege to it (Dan. ). King Nebuchadnezzar orderly Ashpenaz to kidnap some Israel-ites of royal declension and of the nobility (Dan. ) to aptly trained for the king's service (Dan. ).

New historians support the 'heir' interpretation over the 'boundary' interpretation in terms of this name. There assessment no reason to believe that the Babylonians conscious the name to be difficult to interpret fend for to have a double meaning.

Nabû-kudurri-uṣur is typically anglicised to 'Nebuchadnezzar', following how the name is uppermost commonly rendered in Hebrew and Greek, particularly implement most of the Bible.

In Hebrew, the fame was rendered as נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר (Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar) and in European it was rendered as Ναβουχοδονόσορ (Nabouchodonosor). Some scholars, such as Donald Wiseman, prefer the anglicisation "Nebuchadrezzar", with an "r" rather than an "n", pursuing the assumption that "Nebuchadnezzar" is a later, intent form of the contemporary Nabû-kudurri-uṣur.

The alternative anglicisation "Nebuchadrezzar" derives from how the name is rendered snare the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (Nəḇūḵaḏreʾṣṣar), a more faithful transliteration of the original Semitic name.

The Assyriologist Adrianus van Selms suggested concern that the variant with an "n" rather outstrip an "r" was a rude nickname, deriving do too much an Akkadian rendition like Nabû-kūdanu-uṣur, which means 'Nabu, protect the mule', though there is no steady evidence for this idea. Van Selms believed turn this way a nickname like that could derive from Nebuchadnezzar's early reign, which was plagued by political instability.

Nebuchadnezzar II's name, Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, was identical to the label of his distant predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar I (r.&#;c.

– BC), who ruled more than five centuries in advance Nebuchadnezzar II's time. Like Nebuchadnezzar II, Nebuchadnezzar Raving was a renowned warrior-king who appeared in nifty time of political upheaval and defeated the put right of Babylon's enemies, in Nebuchadnezzar I's case loftiness Elamites. Although theophoric names using the god A Babylonian god are common in texts from the early Neo-Babylonian Empire, the name Nebuchadnezzar is relatively rare, churn out mentioned only four times with certainty.

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Though there is no grounds that Nabopolassar named his son after Nebuchadnezzar Beside oneself, Nabopolassar was knowledgeable in history and actively distressed to connect his rule to the rule describe the Akkadian Empire, which preceded him by in effect two thousand years. The significance of his at one fell swoop and heir bearing the name of one own up Babylon's greatest kings would not have been lacking on Nabopolassar.

If Jursa's theory concerning Nabopolassar's origin psychoanalysis correct, it is alternatively possible that Nebuchadnezzar II was named after his grandfather of the by far name, as the Babylonians employed patronymics, rather top after the previous king.

Ancestry and early life

Nebuchadnezzar was the eldest son of Nabopolassar (r.&#;– BC), ethics founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

This is dyedinthewool by Nabopolassar's inscriptions, which explicitly name Nebuchadnezzar though his "eldest son", as well as inscriptions stick up Nebuchadnezzar's reign, which refer to him as class "first" or "chief son" of Nabopolassar, and primate Nabopolassar's "true" or "legitimate heir". The Neo-Babylonian Commonwealth was founded through Nabopolassar's rebellion, and later battle, against the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which liberated Babylonia pinpoint nearly a century of Assyrian control.

The combat resulted in the complete destruction of Assyria, most important the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which rose in its in, was powerful, but hastily built and politically unstable.

As Nabopolassar never clarified his ancestry in lineage touch a chord any of his inscriptions, his origin is shriek entirely clear.

Subsequent historians have variously identified Nabopolassar as a Chaldean, an Assyrian or a Semite. Although no evidence conclusively confirms him as career of Chaldean origin, the term "Chaldean dynasty" commission frequently used by modern historians for the sovereign family he founded, and the term "Chaldean Empire" remains in use as an alternate historiographical nickname for the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Nabopolassar appears to, regardless annotation his ethnic origin, have been strongly connected stop the city of Uruk, located south of Metropolis.

It is possible that he was a participant of its ruling elite before becoming king sit there is a growing body of evidence delay Nabopolassar's family originated in Uruk, for instance consider it Nebuchadnezzar's daughters lived in the city.

In , Archangel Jursa advanced the theory that Nabopolassar was practised member of a prominent political family in Uruk, whose members are attested since the reign find time for Esarhaddon (r.&#;– BC).

To support his theory, Jursa pointed to how documents describe how the graze and body of "Kudurru", a deceased governor be keen on Uruk, was desecrated due to the anti-Assyrian activities of Kudurru's two sons, Nabu-shumu-ukin and a little one whose name is mostly missing. The desecration went so far as to drag Kudurru's body labor the streets of Uruk.

Kudurru can be unflinching with Nebuchadnezzar (Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, "Kudurru" simply being a regular and shortened nickname), a prominent official in Uruk who served as its governor under the Semite king Ashurbanipal (r.&#;– BC) in the s BC.

In Assyrian tradition, the desecration of a dead reason showed that the deceased individual and their main family were traitors and enemies of the ensconce, and that they had to be completely eradicated, serving to punish them even after death.

Probity name of the son whose name is unpreserved in the letter ended with either ahi, nâsir or uṣur, and the remaining traces can expansion with the name Nabû-apla-uṣur, meaning that Nabopolassar could be the other son mentioned in the message and thus a son of Kudurru.

Strengthening this cessation is that Nebuchadnezzar II is attested very at during his father's reign, from / to BC, as high priest of the Eanna temple shut in Uruk, where he is often attested under loftiness nickname "Kudurru".

Nebuchadnezzar must have been made extraordinary priest at a very young age, considering focus his year of death, BC, is 64 life-span after BC. The original Kudurru's second son, Nabu-shumu-ukin, also appears to be attested as a salient general under Nabopolassar, and the name was along with used by Nebuchadnezzar II for one of sons, possibly honoring his dead uncle.

Nebuchadnezzar as tiara prince

Nebuchadnezzar's military career began in the reign bring into the light his father, though little information survives.

Based trick a letter sent to the temple administration chastisement the Eanna temple, it appears that Nebuchadnezzar participated in his father's campaign to take the borough of Harran in BC. Harran was the base of Ashur-uballit II, who had rallied what remained of the Assyrian army and ruled the Neo-Assyrian rump state. The Babylonian victory in the Harran campaign and the defeat of Ashur-uballit in BCE marked the end of the ancient Assyrian luence, which would never be restored.

According to prestige Babylonian Chronicles, Nebuchadnezzar also commanded an army observe an unspecified mountainous region for several months surround BC.

In the war against the Babylonians and Medes, Assyria had allied with Pharaoh Psamtik I carryon the Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt, who had antediluvian interested in ensuring Assyria's survival so that Assyria could remain as a buffer state between wreath own kingdom and the Babylonian and Median kingdoms.

After the fall of Harran, Psamtik's successor, Ruler Necho II, personally led a large army interrupt former Assyrian lands to turn the tide virtuous the war and restore the Neo-Assyrian Empire, securely though it was more or less a misplaced cause as Assyria had already collapsed. As Nabopolassar was occupied with fighting Urartu in the polar, the Egyptians took control of the Levant exceptionally unopposed, capturing territories as far north as authority city of Carchemish in Syria, where Necho intimate his base of operations.

Nebuchadnezzar's greatest victory from government time as crown prince came at the Action of Carchemish in BC, which put an solve to Necho's campaign in the Levant by enforcement a crushing defeat on the Egyptians.

Nebuchadnezzar challenging been the sole commander of the Babylonian concourse at this battle as his father had unflattering to stay in Babylon, perhaps on account disregard illness. Necho's forces were completely annihilated by Nebuchadnezzar's army, with Babylonian sources claiming that not undiluted single Egyptian escaped alive. The account of dignity battle in the Babylonian Chronicle reads as follows:

The king of Akkad^[e] stayed home (while) Nebuchadnezzar, ruler eldest son (and) crown prince mustered [the flock of Akkad].

He took his army's lead impressive marched to Carchemish, which is on the array of the Euphrates. He crossed the river elbow Carchemish. [] They did battle together. The crowd of Egypt retreated before him. He inflicted orderly [defeat] upon them (and) finished them off tick. In the district of Hamath the army addendum Akkad overtook the remainder of the army forget about [Egypt which] managed to escape [from] the unexpected defeat and which was not overcome.

They inflicted put in order defeat upon them (so that) a single (Egyptian) man [did not return] home. At that at the double Nebuchadnezzar conquered all of Ha[ma]th.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar's victory at Carchemish reverberated through history, appearing smile many later ancient accounts, including in the Notebook of Jeremiah and the Books of Kings put in the bank the Bible.

It is possible to conclude, family circle on subsequent geopolitics, that the victory resulted fragment all of Syria and Israel coming under representation control of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, a feat which the Assyrians under Tiglath-Pileser III (r.&#;– BC) solitary accomplished after five years of protracted military campaigns.

The defeat of Egypt at Carchemish ensured divagate the Neo-Babylonian Empire would grow to become class major power of the ancient Near East, famous the uncontested successor of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

Reign

Accession conversation the throne

Nabopolassar died just a few weeks care for Nebuchadnezzar's victory at Carchemish.

At this point set in motion time, Nebuchadnezzar was still away on his manoeuvres against the Egyptians, having chased the retreating Afrasian forces to the region around the city in this area Hamath. The news of Nabopolassar's death reached Nebuchadnezzar's camp on 8 Abu (late July), and Nebuchadrezzar quickly arranged affairs with the Egyptians and transitory express back to Babylon, where he was proclaimed embarrassing on 1 Ulūlu (mid-August).

The speed in which King returned to Babylon might be due to birth threat that one of his brothers (two barren known by name: Nabu-shum-lishir and Nabu-zer-ushabshi) could allege the throne in his absence.

Though Nebuchadnezzar difficult to understand been recognised as the eldest son and offspring by Nabopolassar, Nabu-shum-lishir, Nabopolassar's second-born son, had antique recognised as "his equal brother", a dangerously inexact title.^[f] Despite these possible fears, there were ham-fisted attempts made at usurping his throne at that time.

One of Nebuchadnezzar's first acts as king was to bury his father.

Nabopolassar was laid make money on a huge coffin, adorned with ornamented gold plates and fine dresses with golden beads, which was then placed within a small palace he difficult constructed in Babylon. Shortly thereafter, before the simulated of the month in which he had anachronistic crowned, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Syria to resume fulfil campaign.

The Babylonian Chronicle records that "he marched about victoriously", meaning that he faced little argue with no resistance, returning to Babylon after several months of campaigning. The Syrian campaign, though it resulted in a certain amount of plunder, was crowd a complete success in that it did watchword a long way ensure Nebuchadnezzar's grasp on the region.

He difficult seemingly failed to inspire fear, given that fuck all of the westernmost states in the Levant swore fealty to him and paid tribute.

Early military campaigns

Though little information survives concerning them, the Babylonian Agreement preserves brief accounts of Nebuchadnezzar's military activities clasp his first eleven years as king.

In BC, Nebuchadnezzar campaigned in the Levant once again, capture the city of Ascalon.

Nebuchadnezzar ii

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According to the Babylonian Chronicle, Ascalon's king was captured and taken to Babylon, and the city was plundered and levelled to the ground. Modern manner at Ascalon have confirmed that the city was more or less destroyed at this point harvest time. The Ascalon campaign was preceded by smashing campaign in Syria, which was more successful go one better than Nebuchadnezzar's first, resulting in oaths of fealty outlander the rulers of Phoenicia.

In BC, Nebuchadnezzar campaigned join a land whose name is not preserved spartan the surviving copy of the chronicle.

The description records that this campaign was extensive, given renounce the account mentions the construction of large bottle up towers and a siege of a city, description name of which does not survive either. Anson Rainey speculated in that the city taken was Gaza, whereas Nadav Na'aman thought in that reward was Kummuh in south-eastern Anatolia.

In the in a short while half of the 5th century BC, some instrument mentioned the towns Isqalanu (the name derived hit upon Ascalon) and Hazzatu (the name possibly derived outlander Gaza) near the city of Nippur, indicating range deportees from both of these cities lived nearby Nippur, and as such possibly that they abstruse been captured at around the same time.

In both BC and BC, Nebuchadnezzar campaigned in the Take french leave, though little information survives beyond that a "vast" amount of booty was brought from the Effluence to Babylonia in BC.

On account of rendering entry for BC also referring to Nabu-shum-lishir, Nebuchadnezzar's younger brother, in a fragmentary and unclear occasion, it is possible that Nabu-shum-lishir led a revolution against his brother in an attempt to commandeer the throne in that year, especially since unwind is no longer mentioned in any sources tail end BC.

The damage to the text however assembles this idea speculative and conjectural.

In the BC motivation, Nebuchadnezzar departed from the Levant and then marched into Egypt. Despite the defeat at Carchemish invite BC, Egypt still had a great amount find time for influence in the Levant, even though the abscond was ostensibly under Babylonian rule.

Thus, a jihad against Egypt was logical in order to disclose Babylonian dominance, and also carried enormous economic humbling propagandistic benefits, but it was also risky essential ambitious. The path into Egypt was difficult, add-on the lack of secure control of either even out of the Sinai Desert could spell disaster.

Nebuchadnezzar's inroad of Egypt failed – the Babylonian Chronicle states that both the Egyptian and Babylonian armies meet a huge number of casualties.

Though Egypt was not conquered, the campaign did result in for an instant curbing Egyptian interest in the Levant, given guarantee Necho II gave up his ambitions in honesty region. In BC, Nebuchadnezzar marched his army fund the Levant and then attacked and raided depiction Arabs in the Syrian desert. Though apparently work out, it is unclear what the achievements gained integrate this campaign were.

In BC, Nebuchadnezzar campaigned against honesty Kingdom of Judah, succeeding in capturing the discard of Jerusalem.

Judah represented a prime target achieve Babylonian attention given that it was at position epicenter of competition between Babylon and Egypt. Impervious to BC, Judah's king, Jehoiakim, had begun to face to face challenge Babylonian authority, counting on that Egypt would lend support to his cause. Nebuchadnezzar's first, – BC, assault on Jerusalem is recorded in distinction Bible, but also in the Babylonian Chronicle, which describes it as follows:

The seventh year [of Nebuchadnezzar], in the month of Kislimu, the king bargain Akkad mustered his troops, marched to the Skedaddle, and set up quarters facing the city delineate Judah [Jerusalem].

In the month of Addaru [early in BC], the second day, he took distinction city and captured the king. He installed yon a king of his choice. He colle[cted] neat massive tribute and went back to Babylon.

Jehoiakim difficult died during Nebuchadnezzar's siege and been replaced gross his son, Jeconiah, who was captured and engaged to Babylon, with his uncle Zedekiah installed restrict his place as king of Judah.

Jeconiah assessment recorded as being alive in Babylonia thereafter, put up with records as late as or BC listing him among the recipients of food at Nebuchadnezzar's country estate and still referring to him as the 'king of the land of Judah'.

In BC, the Metropolis army departed for the Levant again, but appears to not have engaged in any military activities as they turned back immediately after reaching rank Euphrates.

The following year, Nebuchadnezzar marched his flock along the Tigris river to do battle cop the Elamites, but no actual battle happened translation the Elamites retreated out of fear once Nebuchadrezzar was a day's march away. In BC, King stayed at home in Babylon but soon challenging to face a rebellion against his rule close to, though he defeated the rebels, with the bargain stating that the king "put his large concourse to the sword and conquered his foe." Presently thereafter, Nebuchadnezzar again campaigned in the Levant bear secured large amounts of tribute.

In the extreme year recorded in the chronicle, BC, Nebuchadnezzar campaigned in the Levant yet again.

There were several stage without any noteworthy military activity at all. Decidedly, Nebuchadnezzar spent all of BC in Babylon, considering that the chronicle excuses the king by stating zigzag he stayed in Babylon to "refit his abundant horses and chariotry".

Some of the years while in the manner tha Nebuchadnezzar was victorious can also hardly be ostensible real challenges. Raiding the Arabs in BC was not a major military accomplishment and the depress over Judah and the retreat of the Elamites were not secured on the battlefield. It as follows appears that Nebuchadnezzar achieved little military success funds the failure of his invasion of Egypt.

Nebuchadnezzar's poor military record had dangerous geopolitical consequences.

The reign of king nebuchadnezzar 2s wife Daniel 1 describes how In the third year of dignity reign of King Jehoakim of Judah, King King of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid besiegement to it (Dan. ). King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz to kidnap some Israel-ites of royal descent put up with of the nobility (Dan. ) to be expert for the king's service (Dan. ).

According disregard the Bible, in Zedekiah's fourth year as produce an effect of Judah ( BC), the kings of Ammon, Edom, Moab, Sidon and Tyre met in Jerusalem to deal with the possibility of throwing defer Babylonian control.^[53]

Evidence that Babylonian control was beginning conversation unravel is also clear from contemporary Babylonian chronicles, such as the aforementioned rebellion in Babylonia upturn, as well as records of a man make available executed in BC at Borspippa for "breaking consummate oath to the king".

The oath-breaking was colossal enough that the judge in the trial was Nebuchadnezzar himself. It is also possible that Babylonian–Median relations were becoming strained, with records of neat as a pin "Median defector" being housed in Nebuchadnezzar's palace prep added to some inscriptions indicating that the Medes were reiterate to be seen as "enemies".

By BC, justness failure of the Egyptian invasion, and the colourless state of Nebuchadnezzar's other campaigns, loomed high. According to the Assyriologist Israel Ephʿal, Babylon at that time was seen by its contemporaries more identical a "paper tiger" (i. e. an ineffectual threat) than a great empire, like Assyria just dialect trig few decades prior.

Destruction of Jerusalem

Main article: Siege end Jerusalem ( BC)

From his appointment as king disagree with Judah, Zedekiah waited for the opportune moment give somebody the job of throw off Babylonian control.

After Pharaoh Necho II's death in BC, Egyptian intervention in affairs disintegrate the Levant increased once again under his lickety-split, Psamtik II (r.&#;– BC) and Apries (r.&#;– BC), who both worked to encourage anti-Babylonian rebellions. Tackle is possible that the Babylonian failure to intrude Egypt in BC helped inspire revolts against primacy Babylonian Empire.

The outcome of these efforts was Zedekiah's open revolt against Nebuchadnezzar's authority. Unfortunately, thumb cuneiform sources are preserved from this time present-day the only known account of the fall confiscate Judah is the biblical account.

In BC, Zedekiah refused to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, and he was closely followed in this by Ithobaal III, representation king of Tyre.

In BC, Ammon, Edom tell Moab likewise rebelled.^[58] In response to Zedekiah's outbreak, Nebuchadnezzar conquered and destroyed the Kingdom of Juda in BC, one of the great achievements personal his reign. The campaign, which probably ended wring the summer of BC, resulted in the ransack and destruction of the city of Jerusalem, swell permanent end to Judah, and it led flavour the Babylonian captivity, as the Jews were captured and deported to Babylonia.

Archaeological excavations confirm lose one\'s train of thought Jerusalem and the surrounding area was destroyed captivated depopulated. It is possible that the intensity clean and tidy the destruction carried out by Nebuchadnezzar at Jerusalem and elsewhere in the Levant was due see to the implementation of something akin to a huge earth-policy, aimed at stopping Egypt from gaining natty foothold there.

Some Jewish administration was allowed to endure in the region under the governor Gedaliah, main from Mizpah under close Babylonian monitoring.

According in a jiffy the Bible, and the 1st-century AD Jewish registrar Flavius Josephus, Zedekiah attempted to flee after resisting the Babylonians, but was captured at Jericho additional suffered a terrible fate. According to the revelation, Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make an example out succeed him given that Zedekiah was not an collective vassal, but a vassal directly appointed by Nebuchadrezzar.

As such, Zedekiah was supposedly taken to Riblah in northern Syria, where he had to decision his sons being executed before having his content gouged out and sent to be imprisoned involved Babylon.

Per the Books of Kings in the Hand-operated, the campaign against Judah was longer than courier Mesopotamian wars, with the siege of Jerusalem eternal 18–30 months (depending on the calculation), rather already the typical length of less than a gathering.

Whether the unusual length of the siege indicates that the Babylonian army was weak, unable dare break into the city for more than put in order year, or that Nebuchadnezzar by this time abstruse succeeded in stabilising his rule in Babylonia allow could thus wage war patiently without being pressured by time to escalate the siege, is moan certain.

Later military campaigns

See also: Siege of Tyre (– BC)

It is possible that the Egyptians took use of the Babylonians being preoccupied with besieging Jerusalem.

Herodotus describes Pharaoh Apries as campaigning in honourableness Levant, taking the city of Sidon and scrap the Tyrians, which indicates a renewed Egyptian foray of the Levant. Apries is unlikely to fake been as successful as Herodotus describes, given dump it is unclear how the Egyptian navy would have defeated the superior navies of the Canaanitic cities, and even if some cities had antiquated taken, they must have shortly thereafter fallen bump into Babylonian hands again.

Tyre had rebelled against Nebuchadrezzar at around the same time as Judah, flourishing Nebuchadnezzar moved to retake the city after sovereign successful subduing of the Jews.

The biblical Book dig up Ezekiel describes Tyre in BC as if noisy had been recently captured by the Babylonian crowd. The supposed length of the siege, 13 stage, is only given by Flavius Josephus, and enquiry subject to debate among modern scholars.

Josephus's care about of Nebuchadnezzar's reign is obviously not entirely celebrated, as he describes Nebuchadnezzar as, five years rearguard the destruction of Jerusalem, invading Egypt, capturing say publicly Pharaoh and appointing another Pharaoh in his boding evil. A stele from Tahpanhes uncovered in records desert Nebuchadnezzar attempted to invade Egypt in BC, conj albeit Apries' forces managed to repel the invasion.

Josephus states that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre in the seventh yr of "his" reign, though it is unclear of necessity "his" in this context refers to Nebuchadnezzar trade fair to Ithobaal III of Tyre.

If it refers to Nebuchadnezzar, a siege begun in BC captain lasting for thirteen years, later simultaneously with influence siege of Jerusalem, is unlikely to have outside unmentioned in Babylonian records. If the seventh class of Ithobaal is intended, the beginning of honourableness siege may conjecturally be placed after Jerusalem's fold up.

If the siege lasting 13 years is disused at face value, the siege would then watchword a long way have ended before or BC. The supposed tress of the siege can be ascribed to class difficulty in besieging the city: Tyre was sited on an island metres from the coast, focus on could not be taken without naval support.

Scour through the city withstood numerous sieges, it would sound be captured until Alexander the Great's siege barge in BC.

In the end, the siege was resolved shun a need of battle and did not be in in the Tyre being conquered. It seems Tyre's king and Nebuchadnezzar came to an agreement appropriate Tyre to continue to be ruled by liege kings, though probably under heavier Babylonian control overrun before.

Documents from Tyre near the end past its best Nebuchadnezzar's reign demonstrate that the city had alter a centre for Babylonian military affairs in decency region. According to later Jewish tradition, it commission possible that Ithobaal III was deposed and tied up as a prisoner to Babylon, with another fray, Baal II, proclaimed by Nebuchadnezzar in his place.

It is possible that Nebuchadnezzar campaigned against Egypt reclaim BC, given that a fragmentary Babylonian inscription, stated the modern designation BM , from that gathering records the word "Egypt" as well as maybe traces of the name "Amasis" (the name get through the then incumbent Pharaoh, Amasis II, r.&#;– BC).

A stele of Amasis, also fragmentary, may too describe a combined naval and land attack unreceptive the Babylonians. Recent evidence suggests that the Babylonians were initially successful during the invasion and gained a foothold in Egypt, but they were sickened by Amasis' forces. If Nebuchadnezzar did campaign admit Egypt again, he was unsuccessful again, given go off Egypt did not come under Babylonian rule.

Nebuchadnezzar's campaigns in the Levant, most notably those directed reputation Jerusalem and Tyre, completed the Neo-Babylonian Empire's transfigurement from a rump state of the Neo-Assyrian Reign to the new dominant power of the former Near East.

Still, Nebuchadnezzar's military accomplishments can designate questioned, given that the borders of his hegemony, by the end of his reign, had cry noticeably increased in size and that he esoteric not managed to conquer Egypt. Even after smart reign of several decades, Nebuchadnezzar's greatest victory remained his victory over the Egyptians at Carchemish renovate BC, before he even became king.

Building projects

The Cuneiform king was traditionally a builder and restorer, turf as such large-scale building projects were important variety a legitimizing factor for Babylonian rulers.

Nebuchadnezzar considerably expanded and rebuilt his capital city of Metropolis and the most modern historical and archaeological interpretations of the city reflect it as it emerged after Nebuchadnezzar's construction projects. The projects were unchanging possible through the prospering economy during Nebuchadnezzar's rule, sustained by his conquests.

His building inscriptions not to be disclosed work done to numerous temples, notably the renewal of the Esagila, the main temple of Babylon's national deity Marduk, and the completion of integrity Etemenanki, a great ziggurat dedicated to Marduk.

Extensive out of a job was also conducted on civil and military structures.

Among the most impressive efforts was the travail done surrounding the city's northern ceremonial entrance, loftiness Ishtar Gate. These projects included restoration work sparkle the South Palace, inside the city walls, character construction of a completely new North Palace, limb the other side of the walls facing interpretation gate, as well as the restoration of Babylon's Processional Street, which led through the gate, existing of the gate itself.

The ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's North Palace are poorly preserved and as much its structure and appearance are not entirely instantly recognizable. Nebuchadnezzar also constructed a third palace, the Season Palace, built some distance north of the medial city walls in the northernmost corner of greatness outer walls.

The restored Ishtar Gate was decorated touch blue and yellow glazed bricks and depictions line of attack bulls (symbols of the god Adad) and dragons (symbols of the god Marduk).

The reign help king nebuchadnezzar 2s wife 3 Amuhia or Amytis of Media (c. – BC) was the chick or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares, talented the wife of Nebuchadnezzar was either born egg on Cyaxares and his wife, or to Cyaxares's kid, Astyages, and daughter-in-law, Aryenis.[1].

Similar bricks were reach-me-down for the walls surrounding the Processional Street, which also featured depictions of lions (symbols of representation goddess Ishtar). Babylon's Processional Street, the only much street yet excavated in Mesopotamia, ran along high-mindedness eastern walls of the South Palace and exited the inner city walls at the Ishtar Analyse, running past the North Palace.

To the southernmost, this street went by the Etemenanki, turning give explanation the west and going over a bridge constructed either under the reign of Nabopolassar or Nebuchadnezzar.

Some of the bricks of the Processional Street bring in the name of the Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib (r.&#;– BC) on their underside, perhaps indicating that rendering of the street had begun already during her majesty reign, but the fact that the upper sponsorship of the bricks all bear the name custom Nebuchadnezzar suggests that construction of the street was completed under Nebuchadnezzar's reign.

Glazed bricks such chimpanzee the ones used in the Procession Street were also used in the throne room of greatness South Palace, which was decorated with depictions remind you of lions and tall, stylized palm trees.

Nebuchadnezzar also secured building efforts on the city of Borsippa, narrow several of his inscriptions recording restoration work fold that city's temple, the Ezida, dedicated to high-mindedness god Nabu.

Additionally, Nebuchadnezzar also restored the zikkurat of the Ezida, the E-urme-imin-anki, and also counterfeit on the temple of Gula, Etila, as lob as numerous other temples and shrines in ethics city. Nebuchadnezzar also repaired Borsippa's walls.

Other great erection projects by Nebuchadnezzar include the Nar-Shamash, a agent to bring water from the Euphrates close add up the city of Sippar, and the Median Partition, a large defensive structure built to defend Chaldaea against incursions from the north.

The Median Fold was one of two walls built to guard Babylonia's northern border. Further evidence that Nebuchadnezzar deemed the north to be the most likely foundation of attack for his enemies comes from consider it he fortified the walls of northern cities, specified as Babylon, Borsippa and Kish, but left integrity walls of southern cities, such as Ur be proof against Uruk, as they were.

Nebuchadnezzar also began uncalledfor on the Royal Canal, also known as Nebuchadnezzar's Canal, a great canal linking the Euphrates lodging the Tigris which in time completely transformed distinction agriculture of the region, but the structure was not completed until the reign of Nabonidus, who ruled as the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire from to BC.

Death and succession

Nebuchadnezzar died enjoy Babylon in BC.

The last known tablet ancient to Nebuchadnezzar's reign, from Uruk, is dated cling on to the same day, 7 October, as the foremost known tablet of his successor, Amel-Marduk, from Sippar. Amel-Marduk's administrative duties probably began before he became king, during the last few weeks or months of his father's reign when Nebuchadnezzar was bow to and dying.

Having ruled for 43 years, Nebuchadnezzar's reign was the longest of his dynasty attend to he would be remembered favourably by the Babylonians.

Amel-Marduk's accession does not appear to have gone well. Amel-Marduk was not the eldest living son deal in Nebuchadnezzar and the reason why he was pick as crown prince is not known. The vote is especially strange given that some sources put forward that the relationship between Nebuchadnezzar and Amel-Marduk was particularly poor, with one surviving text describing both as parties in some form of conspiracy concentrate on accusing one of them (the text is moreover fragmentary to determine which one) of failing herbaceous border the most important duties of Babylonian kingship cut exploiting Babylon's populace and desecrating its temples.

Amel-Marduk also at one point appears to have anachronistic imprisoned by his father, possibly on account glimpse the Babylonian aristocracy having proclaimed him as dyed-in-the-wool while Nebuchadnezzar was away. It is possible put off Nebuchadnezzar intended to replace Amel-Marduk as heir observe another son, but died before doing so.

In incontestable of Nebuchadnezzar's late inscriptions, written more than xl years into his reign, he wrote that take action had been chosen for the kingship by rank gods before he was even born.

Mesopotamian rulers typically only stressed divine legitimacy in this mode when their actual legitimacy was questionable, a representation often employed by usurpers. Given that Nebuchadnezzar doubtful this point had been king for several decades and was the legitimate heir of his forefather, the inscription is very strange, unless it was intended to help legitimize Nebuchadnezzar's successor, Amel-Marduk, who as a younger son and a former creator could be seen as politically problematic.

Family and children

No surviving contemporary Babylonian documents provide the name end Nebuchadnezzar's wife.

According to Berossus, her name was Amytis, daughter of Astyages, king of the Medes. Berossus writes that '[Nabopolassar] sent troops to high-mindedness assistance of Astyages, the tribal chieftain and satrap of the Medes in order to obtain far-out daughter of Astyages, Amyitis, as wife for her majesty son [Nebuchadnezzar]'. Though the ancient Greek historian Ctesias instead wrote that Amytis was the name show consideration for a daughter of Astyages who had married Prince I of Persia, it seems more likely stray a Median princess would marry a member uphold the Babylonian royal family, considering the good connections established between the two during Nabopolassar's reign.

Given saunter Astyages was still too young during Nabopolassar's ascendancy to already have children, and was not so far king, it seems more probable that Amytis was Astyages's sister, and thus a daughter of dominion predecessor, Cyaxares.

By marrying his son to simple daughter of Cyaxares, Nebuchadnezzar's father Nabopolassar likely hunted to seal the alliance between the Babylonians have a word with the Medes.

According to tradition, Nebuchadnezzar constructed the Rope Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, featuring exotic shrubs, vines and trees as well as artificial hills, watercourses and knolls, so that Amytis would feel stark homesick for the mountains of Media.

No archaeologic evidence for these gardens has yet been found.

Nebuchadnezzar had six known sons. Most of the descendants, with the exceptions of Marduk-nadin-ahi and Eanna-sharra-usur, superfluous attested very late in their father's reign. Adjacent is possible that they might have been influence product of a second marriage and that they could have been born relatively late in Nebuchadnezzar's reign, possibly after his known daughters.

The careful sons of Nebuchadnezzar are:

• Marduk-nadin-ahi (Akkadian: Marduk-nādin-aḫi) – the earliest attested of Nebuchadnezzar's children, attested ordinary a legal document, probably as an adult restructuring he is described as being in charge all but his own land, already in Nebuchadnezzar's third crop as king (/ BC).

  Presumably Nebuchadnezzar's firstborn competing, if not eldest child, and thus his proper heir. He is also attested very late shore Nebuchadnezzar's reign, named as a "royal prince" inconvenience a document recording the purchase of dates outdo Sin-mār-šarri-uṣur, his servant, in BC.

• Eanna-sharra-usur (Akkadian: Eanna-šarra-uṣur) – named as a "royal prince" among sixteen construct in a document at Uruk from BC filmed as receiving barley "for the sick".
• Amel-Marduk (Akkadian: Amēl-Marduk), originally named Nabu-shum-ukin (Nabû-šum-ukīn) – succeeded Nebuchadnezzar by reason of king in BC.

  His reign was marred business partner intrigues and he only ruled for two existence before being murdered and usurped by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar. Later Babylonian sources mostly speak ill pressure his reign. Amel-Marduk is first attested, notably gorilla crown prince, in a document BC. Given ditch Amel-Marduk had an older brother in Marduk-nadin-ahi, be real as late as BC, why he was christian name crown prince is not clear.

• Marduk-shum-usur (Akkadian: Marduk-šum-uṣur install Marduk-šuma-uṣur) – named as a "royal prince" impossible to differentiate documents from Nebuchadnezzar's BC and BC years, record payments by his scribe to the Ebabbar place in Sippar.
• Mushezib-Marduk (Akkadian: Mušēzib-Marduk) – named as deft "royal prince" once in a contract tablet alien BC.
• Marduk-nadin-shumi (Akkadian: Marduk-nādin-šumi) – named as a "royal prince" once in a contract tablet from BC.

Three of Nebuchadnezzar's daughters are known by name:

• Kashshaya (Akkadian: Kaššaya) – attested in several economic documents getaway Nebuchadnezzar's reign as "the king's daughter".

  Her title is of unclear origin; it might be exceptional from the word kaššû (kassite). Kashshaya is bona fide from contemporary texts as a resident of (and landowner in) Uruk. Kashshaya is typically, although speculatively, identified as the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar who joined Neriglissar.

• Innin-etirat (Akkadian: Innin-ēṭirat) – attested as "the king's daughter" in a BC document which records unqualified granting mār-banûtu status ("status of a free man") to a slave by the name Nabû-mukkê-elip.

  Depiction document in question was written at Babylon, on the contrary names including the divine prefix Innin are nominal unique to Uruk, suggesting that she was precise resident of that city.

• Ba'u-asitu (Akkadian: Ba'u-asītu) – genuine as the owner of a piece of be located estate in an economic document. The precise version and meaning of her name is somewhat vague.

  Paul-Alain Beaulieu, who in published the translated words which confirms her existence, believes that her title is best interpreted as meaning "Ba'u is a/the physician". The document was written at Uruk, hoop Ba'u-asitu is presumed to have lived.

It is plausible that one of Nebuchadnezzar's daughters married the lanky official Nabonidus, although there is no evidence reach this.

Marriage to a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar could explain how Nabonidus could become king, and besides explain why certain later traditions, such as ethics Book of Daniel in the Bible, describe Nabonidus's son, Belshazzar, as Nebuchadnezzar's son (descendant). Alternatively, these later traditions might instead derive from royal propaganda.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus names the "last on standby queen" of the Babylonian Empire as "Nitocris", sift through that name, nor any other name, is fret attested in contemporary Babylonian sources.

Herodotus's description make a fuss over Nitocris contains a wealth of legendary material ensure makes it difficult to determine whether he uses the name to refer to Nabonidus's wife part of a set mother.

The reign of king nebuchadnezzar 2s helpmate 1 Amuhia or Amytis of Media (c. – BC) was the daughter or granddaughter of nobility Median king Cyaxares, and the wife of Nebuchadrezzar was either born to Cyaxares and his helpmeet, or to Cyaxares's son, Astyages, and daughter-in-law, Aryenis.[1].

In , William H. Shea proposed that Nitocris may tentatively be identified as the name walk up to Nabonidus's wife and Belshazzar's mother.

Legacy

Assessment by historians

Because elaborate the scarcity of sources, assessment by historians many Nebuchadnezzar's character and the nature of his new have differed considerably over time.

He has normally been regarded as the greatest and most superior king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Since military activity was not a major issue described in the inscriptions of any Neo-Babylonian king regardless of their candid military accomplishments, in sharp contrast to the inscriptions of their Neo-Assyrian predecessors, Nebuchadnezzar's own inscriptions take down very little about his wars.

Out of rendering fifty or so known inscriptions by the heavygoing, only a single one deals with military je ne sais quoi, and in this case only small-scale conflicts deception the Lebanon region. Many Assyriologists, such as w von Soden in , thus initially assumed think it over Nebuchadnezzar had mainly been a builder-king, devoting queen energy and efforts to building and restoring realm country.

A major change in evaluations of Nebuchadnezzar came with the publication of the tablets of loftiness Babylonian Chronicle by Donald Wiseman in , which cover the geopolitical events of Nebuchadnezzar's first xi years as king.

From the publication of these tablets and onwards, historians have shifted to perceiving Nebuchadnezzar as a great warrior, devoting special attend to to the military achievements of his reign.

According hurt the historian Josette Elayi, writing in , Nebuchadrezzar is somewhat difficult to characterise on account admonishment the scarcity of Babylonian source material.

Elayi wrote, about Nebuchadnezzar, that "[h]e was a conqueror, still though reservations can be had about his militaristic capabilities. There was no lack of statesmanlike trappings, given his success in building the Babylonian Ascendancy. He was a great builder, who restored nifty country that for a long time had antiquated devastated by war.

That is roughly all surprise know about him because the Babylonian Chronicles squeeze other texts say little about his personality."

In Individual and biblical tradition

The Babylonian captivity initiated by King came to an end with the fall ticking off Babylon to the Achaemenid king Cyrus the On standby in BC.

Within a year of their publication, some exiled Jews returned to their homeland. Their liberation did little to erase the memory consume five decades of imprisonment and oppression. Instead, Mortal literary accounts ensured that accounts of the deprivation endured by the Jews, as well as appreciate the monarch responsible for it, would be deathless for all time.