An engraving inside an onyx-stone-eye in a Marduk statue that might depict Nebuchadrezzar II

Nebuchadrezzar II, more often called Nebuchadnezzar (listen) (c 630-562 BC), was a ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, who reigned c. Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq The term Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean refers to Babylonia under the rule of the 11th ("Chaldean" dynasty from the revolt of Nabopolassar 605 BC-562 BC. Events and trends 568 BC — Amtalqa succeeds his brother Aspelta as king of Kush. He is famous for his monumental building within his capital of Babylon, his role in the Book of Daniel, and his construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and known among Christians and Jews for his conquests of Judah and Jerusalem. The Book of Daniel (דניאל, originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, is a Book in both the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Christian Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the

He was traditionally called "Nebuchadrezzar the Great", but his destruction of temples in Jerusalem and the conquest of Judah caused his vilification in the Bible, (Daniel 1:1; Prophesied Jeremiah 25:11). In contemporary Iraq and some other parts of the Middle East, he is glorified as a historic leader.

Name

His name in Akkadian, Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, is usually (but mistakenly) interpreted as "O Nabu, defend my kudurru" -- Nabu being the Babylonian deity of wisdom who is the son of the god Marduk. Nabu is the Babylonian god of Wisdom and Writing, worshipped by Babylonians as the son of Marduk and his consort Sarpanitum, Kudurru was a type of stone document used as boundary stones and as records of Land grants to Vassals by the Kassites in ancient Mesopotamia Marduk ( Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMARUTU 𒀫 𒌓 "solar calf" perhaps from MERI A kudurru is an inscribed stone deed of property, a clay copy of which served as a boundary marker. In an inscription, he styles himself "Nabu's favourite". Epigraphy (ἐπιγραφολογία from Greek ἐπιγραφή — "inscription" is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs engraved In historical writings when used in reference to a person favourite ( British English and the English of Commonwealth Countries or favorite ( American Contained in a ruler's title, kudurru approximates to "firstborn son" or "oldest son". Kudurru was a type of stone document used as boundary stones and as records of Land grants to Vassals by the Kassites in ancient Mesopotamia Due to this, Nabû-kudurri-uṣur actually means "Oh God Nabu, preserve/defend my firstborn son".

The Hebrew form is נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר (Nəḇuḵadnəṣar or simply Nevuchadnetsar), but can be also found as נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר and נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר (Nəḇuḵadreṣar).

Biography

Nebuchadnezzar II was the second son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. Nabopolassar ( Akkadian: Nabû-apal-usur) was the first king (ruled 625-605 BC of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture Nineveh ( Akkadian: Ninua; Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Hebrew נינוה Nīnewē; Arabic نينوى Naīnuwa) According to Berossus, he married Amytis of Media, the daughter or granddaughter of Cyaxares, king of the Medes, and thus the Median and Babylonian dynasties were united. Berossus (also Berossos or Berosus; Greek: Βήρωσσος was a Hellenistic -era Babylonian writer and astronomer who Amuhia or Amytis of Media was the daughter or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares and the wife of Nebuchadrezzar II. Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra, or Kayxosrew (𐎢𐎺𐎧𐏁𐎫𐎼 Uvaxštra, Greek Κυαξαρης; r The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran.

Nabopolassar was intent on conquering from the pharaoh Necho II (who was still hoping to restore Assyrian power) the western provinces of Syria, and to this end dispatched his son with a powerful army westward. Nabopolassar ( Akkadian: Nabû-apal-usur) was the first king (ruled 625-605 BC of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. In the ensuing Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, the Egyptian army was defeated and driven back, and Syria and Phoenicia were brought under the sway of Babylon. The Battle of Carchemish was fought about 605 BC between the allied armies of Egypt and Assyria against Babylonia. Nabopolassar died in August of that year, and Nebuchadrezzar returned home to Babylon to ascend to the throne.

After the defeat of the Cimmerians and Scythians, all of Nebuchadrezzar's expeditions were directed westwards, although a powerful neighbour lay to the North; the cause of this was that a wise political marriage with Amuhia, the daughter of the Median king, had ensured a lasting peace between the two empires. See Cimmeria (Conan or Cimmeria (Poem for the fiction of Robert E The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic Amuhia or Amytis of Media was the daughter or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares and the wife of Nebuchadrezzar II. The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the northwestern portions of present-day Iran.

Nebuchadrezzar faces off against Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who holds a plan of Jerusalem, in this Baroque-era depiction in Zwiefalten Abbey in Germany

Nebuchadrezzar engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence in Syria and Judah. Tzidkiyahu (צִדְקִיָּהוּ Şidhqiyyāhû; Greek: ζεδεκιας Zedekias; traditional English Zedekiah) was the last king of Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Baroque sculpture is the Sculpture associated with the Baroque Cultural movement, a movement often identified with the existence of important Baroque art Zwiefalten Abbey (in German Kloster Zwiefalten, Abtei Zwiefalten or after 1750 Reichsabtei Zwiefalten) was a Benedictine monastery Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadrezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC deposing King Jehoiakim, then in 587 BC due to rebellion, destroying both the city and the Temple and deporting many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah to Babylon. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Jehoiakim (יהוֹיָקִים "he whom Jehovah has set up" also sometimes spelled Jehoikim) was king of Judah and the second son of king These events are described in Nevi'im and Ketuvim, sections of Tanakh, and the Hebrew Bible. Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים "writings" is the third and final section of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) after Torah and Nevi'im See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic After the destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadrezzar engaged in a thirteen year long siege of Tyre (585-572 BC), which ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians accepting Babylonian authority. Tyre ( Arabic صور Ṣūr, Phoenician Phoenician wawsvg|12px|ו]] Ṣur, Hebrew Events and trends 589 BC — Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as king of Egypt. Events and trends 579 BC — Servius Tullius succeeds the assassinated Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as the sixth King of Rome.

It would appear that following the pacification of Tyre, Nebuchadrezzar turned again to Egypt. A clay tablet, now in the British Museum, bears the following inscription referring to his wars:

"In the 37th year of Nebuchadrezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to make war. Small tablets made out of clay were used from 5500 BC Tărtăria tablets and later from 4th millennium BC onwards as a writing medium in Sumerian The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread abroad. Amasis II (also Ahmose II) was a Pharaoh (570 BC - 526 BC of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt, the successor of Apries. "

Having completed the subjugation of Phoenicia, and inflicted chastisement on Egypt, Nebuchadrezzar now set himself to rebuild and adorn the city of Babylon, and constructed canals, aqueducts, temples and reservoirs.

Babylonian tradition has it that towards the end of his life, Nebuchadrezzar, inspired from on high, prophesied the impending ruin to the Chaldean Empire (Berosus and Abydenus in Eusebius, Praep. Abydenus (Gr) was a Greek Historian, and the author of a History of the Chaldeans and Assyrians, of which some fragments are preserved by Evang. , 9. 41). Nebuchadrezzar died in Babylon between the second and sixth months of the forty-third year of his reign.

Construction activity

Nebuchadrezzar seems to have prided himself on his constructions more than on his victories. During the last century of Niniveh's existence, Babylon had been greatly devastated, not only at the hands of Sennacherib and Assurbanipal, but also as a result of her ever renewed rebellions. Nineveh ( Akkadian: Ninua; Aramaic: ܢܝܢܘܐ Hebrew נינוה Nīnewē; Arabic نينوى Naīnuwa) Sennacherib ( Akkadian Sîn-ahhe-eriba "(moon god Sîn has replaced (lost brothers for me" was the son of Sargon II, whom he Ashurbanipal ( Akkadian: Aššur-bāni-apli, " Ashur has made a son" or "Ashur created an heir" (b Nebuchadrezzar, continuing his father's work of reconstruction, aimed at making his capital one of the world's wonders. Old temples were restored; new edifices of incredible magnificence were erected to the many gods of the Babylonian pantheon (Diodorus of Sicily, 2. 95; Herodotus, 1. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash 183) to complete the royal palace begun by Nabopolassar, nothing was spared, neither "cedar-wood, nor bronze, gold, silver, rare and precious stones"; an underground passage and a stone bridge connected the two parts of the city separated by the Euphrates; the city itself was rendered impregnable by the construction of a triple line of walls. The bridge across the Euphrates is of particular interest, in that it was supported on asphalt covered brick piers that were streamlined to reduce the upstream resistance to flow, and the downstream turbulence that would otherwise undermine the foundations. Nor was Nebuchadrezzar's activity confined to the capital; he is credited with the restoration of the Lake of Sippar, the opening of a port on the Persian Gulf, and the building of the famous Mede wall between the Tigris and the Euphrates to protect the country against incursions from the North. Sippar ( Sumerian Zimbir "bird city" modern Tell Abu Habbah, Iraq) was an ancient Sumerian and later Babylonian In fact, there is scarcely a place around Babylon where his name does not appear and where traces of his activity are not found. These gigantic undertakings required an innumerable host of workmen; from the inscription of the great temple of Marduk, we may infer that most probably captives brought from various parts of Western Asia made up a large part of the labouring force used in all his public works. Marduk ( Sumerian spelling in Akkadian: AMARUTU 𒀫 𒌓 "solar calf" perhaps from MERI Nebuchadrezzar made the hanging gardens for his wife Amyitis (or Amytis) to remind her of her homeland, Medis (or Media). Amuhia or Amytis of Media was the daughter or granddaughter of the Median king Cyaxares and the wife of Nebuchadrezzar II. ^[1] She was the daughter (or granddaughter) of King Cyaxares the Mede. Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra, or Kayxosrew (𐎢𐎺𐎧𐏁𐎫𐎼 Uvaxštra, Greek Κυαξαρης; r

Portrayal in the Books of Daniel and Jeremiah

Nebukadnezar, by William Blake

Nebuchadnezzar is most widely known through his portrayal in the Bible, especially the Book of Daniel as נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר. William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. The Book of Daniel (דניאל, originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, is a Book in both the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Christian This book discusses several events of his reign, in addition to his conquest of Jerusalem.

In the second year of his reign (evidently counting from his conquest of the Jews), Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a huge image made of various materials (gold, silver, bronze, iron, etc). The prophet Daniel tells him God's interpretation, that it stands for the rise and fall of world powers. Daniel (; Persian: دانيال, Dâniyal or Danial, also Dani, داني; Arabic: دانيال (Daniel Chapter 2)

During another incident, Nebuchadnezzar erects a large idol for worship during a public ceremony on the plain of Dura. When three Jews, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (respectively renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by their captors, to facilitate their assimilation into Babylonian culture), refuse to take part, he has them cast into a fiery furnace. See also Fiery furnace Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (sometimes referred to collectively as The Three Young Men) were three friends The fiery furnace is a story from the Book of Daniel (chapter 3 in the Tanakh ( Old Testament) They are protected by an angel [Daniel 3:25, KJV], and emerge unscathed without even the smell of smoke. (Daniel Chapter 3)

Another dream, this time of an immense tree, is interpreted by Daniel the prophet. (Daniel Chapter 4) Chapter 4 is also written by Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. ) DAN4:1-2

While boasting over his achievements, Nebuchadrezzar is humbled by God. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The king loses his sanity and lives in the wild like an animal for seven years (by some considered as an attack of the madness called clinical boanthropy or alternately porphyria). Boanthropy is an illness in which sufferers take to the belief that they are cattle Porphyrias are a group of inherited or acquired disorders of certain Enzymes in the Heme biosynthetic pathway (also called Porphyrin pathway After this, his sanity and position are restored and he praised and honored God.

A clay tablet in the British Museum (BM34113) describes Nebuchadnezzar's behaviour during his insanity: "His life appeared of no value to him. . . then he gives an entirely different order. . . he does not show love to son or daughter. . . family and clan does not exist. ^[2] There is also a notable absence of any record of acts or decrees by the king during 582 to 575 BC. ^[3]

Some scholars think that Nebuchadrezzar's portrayal by Daniel is a mixture of traditions about Nebuchadrezzar — he was indeed the one who conquered Jerusalem — and about Nabonidus (Nabuna'id). Nabonidus ( Akkadian Nabû-nāʾid) was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556-539 BCE For example, Nabonidus was the natural, or paternal father of Belshazzar, and the seven years of insanity could be related to Nabonidus' sojourn in Tayma in the desert. Belshazzar (or Balthazar; Akkadian Bel-sarra-usur) was a prince of Babylon, the son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon according Tayma (تيماء also transliterated Tema) is a large Oasis with a long history of settlement located in northeastern Saudi Arabia Evidence for this view was actually found on some fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls that reference Nabonidus (N-b-n-y) being smitten by God with a fever for seven years of his reign while his son Belshazzar was regent. The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves Belshazzar (or Balthazar; Akkadian Bel-sarra-usur) was a prince of Babylon, the son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon according

The Book of Jeremiah contains a prophecy about the arising of a "destroyer of nations", commonly regarded as a reference to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. The Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah ( יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirməyāhū in Hebrew) is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaism 4:7), as well as an account of Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem and looting and destruction of the temple (Jer. 52).

Named after Nebuchadnezzar

• There is a type of daylily named "Nebuchadnezzar's Furnace". Daylilies comprise the small Genus Hemerocallis of flowering plants in the family Hemerocallidaceae.
• A bottle of champagne filled with the volume equivalent of 20 standard bottles (15 litres) is called a Nebuchadnezzar. Champagne is a Sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle Secondary fermentation of Wine to effect Carbonation. A wine bottle is a Bottle used for holding wine generally made of Glass.
• In the popular The Matrix film trilogy, the hovercraft captained by Morpheus is named the Nebuchadnezzar. The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction - martial arts - Action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and This article is about the 'hovercraft' ships shown in the fictional universe of the Matrix series
• One of the minor characters in The Lost Kings.
• The opera Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi
• Saddam Hussein named one of his Republican Guards divisions after Nebuchadnezzar. Nabucco (short for Nabucodonosor, English Nebuchadnezzar) is an Opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian Libretto Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30
• A Legend card in the Magic: The Gathering card game is named Nebuchadnezzar. This article is somewhat over-complete Please do not add significant new content without first discussing it on the talk page
• The VeggieTales character Nebby K. VeggieTales is a series of English language children's computer animated Films featuring Anthropomorphic Vegetables Nezzer is a play off of Nebuchadnezzar.
• Neb in Castaways of the Flying Dutchman. Castaways of the Flying Dutchman is the first Novel in the Castaways series by Brian Jacques, published in 2001
• The Time Traveler in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine is said to have "Nebuchadnezzar phases"
• A Canadian heavy metal band is named "Nebucadnezzer"

Notes and references

Notes

References

• Chapter 23, "The Chaldaean Kings" in Georges Roux, Ancient Iraq (3rd ed. ). London: Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN 0-14-012523-X
• ABC 5: Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar
• Nabuchodonosor on the Catholic Encyclopedia
• This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia
• Nos ancêtres de l'Antiquité, 1991, Christian Settipani, p. Christian Settipani (born January 31 1961) is the Technical Director of an IT Company in the Paris area and a self-taught

External links

• Inscription of Nabuchadnezzar. Babylonian and Assyrian Literature - old translation
• Nabuchadnezzar Ishtar gate Inscription