Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II on a coin.

Inscription of King Nebuchadnezar II at the Ishtar Gate. An excerpt says: "I (Nebuchadnezzar) laid the foundation of the gates down to ground water level and had them built out of pure blue stone. Upon the walls in the inner room of the gate are bulls and dragons and thus I adorned them with luxurious splendour for all mankind to behold in awe."

Nebuchadnezzar II (about 634 – 562 BC) was king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and reigned ~605 BC – 562 BC.

According to the Bible, he conquered Judah and Jerusalem, and sent the Jews into exile. He is featured in the Book of Daniel and is mentioned in several other books of the Bible. He (allegedly) destroyed Solomon's Temple.

He is said to have built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The king built the hanging gardens in attempt to please his wife. His kingdom had a great flow of trade and prosperity. However, some scholars argue that the Gardens may have been constructed by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in his capital city, Nineveh.^[1]^[2]

Nebuchadnezzar II Media

Nebuchadnezzar in Akkadian
A fired mudbrick from Babylon, stamped with the name and titles of Nebuchadnezzar
Preserved portion of the Eanna temple at Uruk. Nebuchadnezzar was the high priest of the Eanna temple from 626/625 BC to 617 BC.
The Battle of Carchemish, as depicted in Hutchinson's Story of the Nations (1900)
The so-called "Chronicle of Nabopolassar". The cuneiform inscriptions on this clay tablet narrate the chronicle of the years 608-605 BC. After the fall of Nineveh, Naboplolassar vied with Egypt to control Assyria's western territories. His death stopped the campaign and sent his son Nebuchadnezzar II back to Babylon to claim the throne.
Clay cylinder of Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar's father and predecessor, from Babylon
"Nebuchadnezzar, King of Justice". Once in power, Nebuchadnezzar was presented as a typical Babylonian monarch; wise, pious, just, and strong. Texts such as this clay tablet, extol his greatness as a man and ruler. From Babylon, Iraq.
Map of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar
19th or 20th century painting by James Tissot depicting the Babylonian forces destroying Jerusalem

References

↑ Dalley, Stephanie 2013. The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: an elusive world wonder traced. OUP. ISBN 978-0-19-966226-5
↑ Rollinger, Robert 2013 (2013). "Berossos and the Monuments". In Haubold, Johannes (ed.). The World of Berossos. Harrassowitz. p. 155. ISBN 978-3-447-06728-7.

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[1] Dalley, Stephanie 2013. The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: an elusive world wonder traced. OUP. ISBN 978-0-19-966226-5

[2] Rollinger, Robert 2013 (2013). "Berossos and the Monuments". In Haubold, Johannes (ed.). The World of Berossos. Harrassowitz. p. 155. ISBN 978-3-447-06728-7.

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