Nabonidus
Sign in to saveNabonidus (, meaning "May Nabu be exalted" or "Nabu is praised") was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 556 BC to the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenian Empire under Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. Nabonidus was the last native ruler of ancient Mesopotamia, the end of his reign marking the end of thousands of years of Sumero-Akkadian states, kingdoms and empires. He was also the last independent king of Babylon. Regarded as one of the most vibrant and individualistic rulers of his time, Nabonidus is characterised by some scholars as an unorthodox religious reformer and as the f
Person · Open Library
- Born
- after 609 BC
- Died
- after 539 BC
- Works
- 5
Top works
- Inschriften von Nabonidus, König von Babylon (555-538 v. Chr.)
- Inschriften von Nabonidus, König von Babylon (555-538 v. Chr.)
- Inschriften von Nabonidus, König von Babylon (555-538 v. Chr.)
- Inschriften von Nabonidus, König von Babylon (555-538 v. Chr.)
- Inschriften von Nabonidus, König von Babylon (555-538 v. Chr.)
via Open Library + Wikidata
Key facts
- Royalty.name
- Nabonidus
- Royalty.birth_date
- 620–615 BC
- Royalty.native_lang1_name1
- Nabû-naʾid
- Royalty.dynasty
- Chaldean dynasty(through marriage) (?)
- Royalty.native_lang1
- Akkadian
- Royalty.issue
- BelshazzarEnnigaldi-NannaIna-Esagila-rematAkkabuʾunma
- Royalty.issue link
- Family, children and descendants
- Royalty.issue pipe
- Amongothers
- Royalty.succession
- King of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
- Royalty.death_place
- Carmania (?)
- Royalty.death_date
- Possibly after 522 BC
- Royalty.birth_place
- Harran
- Royalty.father
Key dates
- Born
- 615 BCE
- Died
- 1 January 538 BCE
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- Babylon
- Place of birth
- Harran
- Place of death
- Carmania Satrapy
- Spouse
- Nitocris of Babylon
- Child
- Bel-Shalti-Nanna
- Mother
- Adad-guppi
- Occupation
- king
- Image
- Nabonidus.jpg
Show 4 more facts
Article
19 sectionsContents
- Background
- Ancestry and connection to royalty
- Pre-royal career
- Reign
- Rise to the throne
- Early reign
- Nabonidus in Tayma
- Religious policies
- Late reign and fall of Babylon
- Fate
- Family, children and descendants
- Legacy
- Character and remembrance
- Nabonidus as an archaeologist
- Titles
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Web sources
Nabonidus (, meaning "May Nabu be exalted" or "Nabu is praised") was the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 556 BC to the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenian Empire under Cyrus the Great in 539 BC. Nabonidus was the last native ruler of ancient Mesopotamia, the end of his reign marking the end of thousands of years of Sumero-Akkadian states, kingdoms and empires. He was also the last independent king of Babylon. Regarded as one of the most vibrant and individualistic rulers of his time, Nabonidus is characterised by some scholars as an unorthodox religious reformer and as the first archaeologist.
The origins of Nabonidus, his connection to previous royalty, and subsequently what claim he had to the throne remain unclear, given that Nabonidus made no genealogical claims of kinship to previous kings. This suggests that he was neither related nor connected to the Chaldean dynasty of Babylonian rulers. However, he is known to have had a prominent career of some kind before he became king. It is possible that he was connected to the Chaldean kings via marriage, possibly having married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BC). Nabonidus's mother, Adad-guppi, was of Assyrian ancestry. His father, Nabu-balatsu-iqbi, of whom little is known, may also have been either Assyrian or Babylonian. Some historians have speculated that either Adad-guppi or Nabu-balatsu-iqbi were members of the Sargonid dynasty, rulers of the Neo-Assyrian Empire until its fall in 609 BC.