During the late 7th century BC, as the Iron Age drew closer to an end in the Near East,
the mighty Neo-Assyrian Empire was finally conquered and succeeded by the Babylonians
under the leadership of King Nabopolassar. Although Nabopolassar founded the Neo-Babylonian
Empire, it was his son, Nebuchadnezzar the Second, who succeeded in expanding
the new empire and restoring Babylon to its former glory.
This was the first time in a thousand years, since the reign of Hammurabi, that Babylon
had risen to dominate Mesopotamia. As a result of his portrayal in the Bible,
Nebuchadnezzar would come to be regarded as an oppressive and cruel enemy of the Jewish people.
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Nebuchadnezzar the Second, the eldest son of King Nabopolassar, was born in six-forty-two
BC and was likely named after his grandfather, who was a governor in the city of Uruk under
the rule of King Ashurbanipal. The name ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ is derived
from his traditional Akkadian name “O Nabu, protect my first-born son.” which translates
to “O Nabu, protect my first-born son.” Nabu being the Mesopotamian patron-god of scribes,
literacy and wisdom who gained great prominence during the 1st millennium BC after being
identified as the son of the most powerful god of the Babylonian pantheon, Marduk.
As Crown Prince of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar took part in his father’s campaign to conquer
the city of Harran in six-o-nine BC, where the final Assyrian ruler, Ashur-uballit the Second,
had gathered the remainder of his forces. The Battle of Harran led to the ultimate defeat
of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Subsequently, Nebuchadnezzar was
promoted and began taking charge of troops alongside his father.
Together, they led an army into a mountainous region north of Assyria in six-o-seven BC.
After his father returned to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar continued to lead independent
operations, serving as Commander-in-Chief and securing major victories that solidified Babylon’s
status as the new superpower in the region. The Egyptian pharaoh at the time,
Necho the Second, attempted to restore the fallen Neo-Assyrian Empire by leading a large army into
former Assyrian territories and establishing a base of operations in the city of Carchemish.
Nebuchadnezzar faced Necho and his forces in six-o-five BC at the Battle of Carchemish and
dealt the Egyptians a devastating defeat. Nebuchadnezzar's victory over the Egyptians at
Carchemish echoed throughout history, appearing in several later accounts,
such as the Book of Jeremiah and the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible.
When King Nabopolassar died in July of six-o-five BC, Nebuchadnezzar rushed
back home to Babylon to stake his claim to the throne before his younger brother,
Nabû-šum-līšir, had a chance to steal it. Nabû-šum-līšir, was never mentioned in documents
again after this point, leading historians to speculate that he probably led an unsuccessful
revolt that resulted in his demise. Upon becoming ruler, Nebuchadnezzar spoke
directly to the patron god of Babylon in his inaugural speech, saying: â€œO merciful Marduk,
may the house that I have built endure forever, may I be satiated with its splendor,
attain old age therein, with abundant offspring, and receive tribute of the
kings of all regions, from all mankind” After burying his father, Nebuchadnezzar returned
to the front lines in Syria to continue expanding what was now his empire.
In six-o-four BC, Nebuchadnezzar and his men conquered the city of Ashkelon in the Levant,
and proceeded to capture its king, plunder its treasures and leave it in ruins.
Over the next three years, other states including the Kingdom of Judah submitted
to the surging Babylonian empire and, with the help of Greek mercenaries,
the empire was extended into Palestine. Progress was halted abruptly in six-o-one BC, when
Nebuchadnezzar chose to march against Egypt. Despite having defeated the Egyptians at
Carchemish, the attempted invasion of Egypt was a complete and utter failure.
There were heavy casualties on both sides but the failure resulted in a
loss of confidence for the Babylonians. Vassal states started to doubt the power of
Babylon, referring to the infant empire as a paper tiger.
At home, Babylonians began to disobey Nebuchadnezzar's direct orders and
even organized rebellions against him. Turning his attention away from Egypt and back
towards the Levant, Nebuchadnezzar led his army into the Syrian desert in five-ninety-nine BC,
attacking and raiding Arabs along the way. One year later, the Babylonians captured the
city of Jerusalem in a campaign against the Kingdom of Judah.
Hoping that Egypt would lend support, Judah’s King Jehoiakim challenged Nebuchadnezzar’s authority
and ultimately suffered greatly as a result. King Jehoiakim died during the siege and his
uncle Zedekiah was subsequently installed as ruler of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.
Further campaigns into the Levant followed, including the
capture of the Phoenician city of Tyre. The Babylonian army swept through the region,
leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. Nebuchadnezzar took full control of all trade
routes across Mesopotamia and expanded his empire in every direction.
The warrior-king was persistent in his policy of expansion, believing a universal kingship
to be a right granted to him by Marduk. Following the unsuccessful invasion of Egypt,
Zedekiah of Judah refused to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar
and revolted in five-eighty-nine BC. This led to Nebuchadnezzar's defining moment;
the complete annihilation of the city of Jerusalem, including Solomon’s Temple.
The destruction of Jerusalem prompted the permanent end of the Kingdom of Judah.
As many as twenty-thousand Judeans, thought to make up 25% of Jerusalem’s population at the time,
were captured and deported to Babylon. The deportation of a conquered city’s citizens
was a common tactic that was often employed by the Assyrians during their time in power.
The destruction of Solomon’s Temple and the Babylonian Exile were seen as
fulfillments of Biblical prophecies. These events led to the strengthening of
Judaic religious beliefs and began the Israelites' transition from the
polytheistic beliefs of Yahwism to the monotheistic beliefs of Judaism.
Yahwism's pantheon of many gods was headed by Yahweh, the national god of the Isrealites,
along with his wife, the goddess Asherah. The second-tier gods and goddesses consisted of
Baal, Yarikh, Mot, and Astarte, who each had their own priests and prophets.
he Hebrew Bible would go on to refer to Nebuchadnezzar as the "destroyer of
nations" and a cruel and mad ruler sent by God to punish the Israelites for their many sins.
18th Century English painter William Blake's famous depiction of Nebuchadnezzar as a mad king
is based on the Book of Daniel’s unflattering description of the ruler, which reads: "He was
driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until
his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.”
On the other hand, Babylonian sources describe Nebuchadnezzar's reign as
a golden age that transformed Babylonia into the greatest empire of its time.
Among Nebuchadnezzar’s many accomplishments were the completion and expansion of fortifications
initiated by his father; building a great moat and outer defense wall; constructing canals;
paving the Processional Way with limestone; and renovating the city’s temples.
The beautiful Ishtar Gate that led into the heart of the city was ordered by the King
to be surrounded with blue tiles and adorned with images of animals representing gods.
Nebuchadnezzar was exceptionally proud of the Ishtar Gate, and added a dedication plaque
inscribed in cuneiform that read: â€œNebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the faithful prince appointed by
the will of Marduk, the highest of princely princes, beloved of Nabu, of prudent counsel,
who has learned to embrace wisdom, who fathomed their divine being and reveres their majesty,
the untiring governor, who is constantly concerned with the well-being of Babylon and Borsippa,
the wise, the humble, the firstborn son of Nabopolassar. I laid the foundation of the
gates down to the ground water level and had them built out of pure blue
stone. Upon the walls in the inner room of the gate are lions, bulls and dragons, and
thus I magnificently adorned them with luxurious splendor for all mankind to behold in awe."
Lions represented the goddess of love and fertility, Ishtar.
Bulls represented the god of storms, Adad. And dragons represented the central Babylonian
deity, Marduk. Behind the enormous bronze
gates protecting the city were solid gold statues and an opulent grand temple.
The most well-known construction associated with Nebachadnezzar are the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, which are recognized as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Legend has it that Nebuchadnezzar’s wife Amytis of Medea missed her forested homeland so much
that the ruler built the extravagant gardens to remind her of home.
Supposedly, the gardens were built on a slope that consisted of a
series of terraces that were supported by pillars made of baked brick and tar.
A Greek historian named Diodorus Siculus described the gardens as being four-hundred feet wide,
four-hundred feet long, and eighty feet high. The gardens being so high up likely meant that
The exact location of the Hanging Gardens remains a mystery to this day, but there
are skeptics who believe the gardens were located elsewhere or never existed at all.
After ruling for forty-three years, Nebuchadnezzar died in
Babylon on October 7th, five-sixty-two BC. The empire’s throne was succeeded by one of his
sons named Amel-Marduk, but he was overthrown and murdered less than two years later.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire was short-lived and only lasted another twenty years before being
conquered by Cyrus the Great and incorporated into the Achaemenid Empire in five-thirty-nine BC.
Nebuchadnezzar was the longest-reigning king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and at
the time of his death was the most powerful ruler in the world.
Through his considerable military prowess and remarkable construction accomplishments,
Nebuchadnezzar immortalized himself as one of the greatest rulers of the ancient world!
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