Nabonidus Cylinder ( Belshazzar : mentioned by Daniel )

This clay cylinder with a cuneiform inscription, found in Ur near the Euphrates River in 1854, was one of the most important discoveries in Biblical archaeology.

Nabonidus, King of Babylon

The last Babylonian king, before the conquest of the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C., was Nabonidus.  Herodotus, visiting Babylon around 450 B.C., called him Labynetos (probably the Greek form of “Nabonidus”).  He comes last in the king lists of Berossus and Ptolemy.
Although details differ, the general consensus of the ancient historians is as follows:

• Cyrus defeated Nabonidus in battle outside the city.
• Nabonidus fled, perhaps to Borsippa.
• After a brief siege, the Persians took Babylon without a fight.
• Soon after, Nabonidus surrendered, and Cyrus spared his life.
• Many officials in Babylon retained their positions.
• Herodotus said the Persians diverted the Euphrates, waded through waist-deep water into the city, and surprised the defenders.

According to all ancient historians, Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon.

Daniel and Belshazzar

Daniel 5 says Belshazzar was king, and was making a great feast when (famously) a hand appeared and wrote a message of judgment on the wall.  Daniel read the writing and Belshazzar made him the third ruler in the kingdom.  Belshazzar was killed that night, and the city taken by the Medes and Persians.  According to Daniel, Belshazzar was king in Babylon when it fell, and he was killed that night.

Skeptics Always Loved Belshazzar

Skeptics loved Belshazzar — he obviously didn’t exist.  In 1850, Ferdinand Hitzig (Das Buch Daniel) called Belshazzar “a figment of the writer’s imagination.” The historians all agreed — the last king was Nabonidus, not Belshazzar.  He was captured, not killed.  Daniel was obviously all wrong, written centuries later and totally inaccurate.
Daniel’s account of Belshazzar was the silver bullet that killed Biblical credibility.  What more could a skeptic want?

“Epic Fail”

A mere four years later, the cylinder above turned up, and Hitzig’s book became an “Epic Fail.”  The inscription records a prayer of Nabonidus asking the gods to bless his son, the man who didn’t exist — Belshazzar.

© Trustees of the British Museum

That was just a start.  This cylinder to the left (also mentioning Belshazzar), found at Sippar in the 1880s, is a “highlight” in the British Museum, but the one from Ur was found first (both are in room 55).  Many other discoveries mean we now know a lot more about Belshazzar.
He was co-regent with Nabonidus, ruling at home in his father’s extended absence.  The queen of Daniel 5:10-12 was probably his grandmother, the Queen Mother (one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters).  Now we know why Daniel was the “third” ruler — Nabonidus, Belshazzar, then Daniel.  In fact, the discoveries clarify a lot of things.
Nabonidus WAS the last king, and fled after the battle.  The co-regent Belshazzar thought the city was safe, so held a drunken feast.  He died that night (perhaps a small skirmish in the palace).  The city fell without a real fight, perhaps because everyone got drunk at Belshazzar’s feast so no one noticed the dropping river level.  Cyrus could spare Nabonidus, because the war was over when he surrendered (Cyrus liked to appear magnanimous, more on that when we come to the Cyrus Cylinder).  Daniel was apparently one of those officials who retained their positions in the Mede-Persian administration (Daniel 6).

Nabonidus Cylinder ( Belshazzar : mentioned by Daniel )

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Luchnia

Posted by Kevin McKinney : The Book of Daniel has always been surrounded by controversy and doubt. Traditional teaching tells us the Book was written by a single author, the prophet Daniel, in the sixth century B.C.. Both of these facts have come under attack by critics and scholars throughout the centuries. There are many aspects of Daniel that can be examined in order to evaluate both its accuracy and the dates in which it was written. Here the focus will be on a single issue, a Babylonian ruler named in the Book of Daniel. For many years critics believed the author of Daniel had fabricated the person of Belshazzar who was listed as a ruler of Babylon during the exile. These critics were silenced when archeologist made a major discovery almost 160 years ago in 1853.

Prior to the 1853 Nabonidus Cylinder discovery the name of Belshazzar did not appear in any other lists of Babylonian rulers. Because of this absence, except for the Biblical text, scholars of the day assumed Belshazzar was fabricated by the author of Daniel to fit his literary purposes. This is a mistake repeated by Bible critics throughout the ages. In cases such as the Hittites, Pontius Pilate, King David and others the critics assumed since these people were only named in the Bible, they must not be real living breathing people. In each case new discoveries have proved them wrong, as is the case with the Book of Daniel.

“Belshazzar the king made a great feast…” Daniel 5:1

In 1853 archeologist unearthed a clay cylinder approximately six inches in length. This find has come to be known as the Nabonidus Cylinder. Like many discoveries, this confirmation came not as a direct statement, but as a side note of a larger text. In the case of the Nabonidus Cylinder, it was not intended to list the rulers of Babylon, but was rather a commentary on repairs made to a temple. The temple was located in UR and was dedicated to the moon-god Sin. The repairs were commissioned by the King of Babylon at the time, Nabonidus.

Previous listing of rulers of Babylon included Nabonidus and he was kinown to be the last king of Babylon. Since no previous king had been named Belshazzar, and there were no kings after Nabonidus, then the author of Daniel must have made an error in the historical data, or fabricated the name entirely. This fueled the critics arguments until the Nabonidus Cylinder clarified the confusion surrounding the rulers of the Babylon during the exile.

In addition to the information concerning the temple repairs, the cylinder also contained a prayer by Nabonidus for his son and co-regent Belshazzar. It was found the previous lists were correct but lacked the historical details recorded in the Bible which included both rulers of Babylon during the time of the writing of Daniel. This artifact confirms the reliability and accuracy of the author, but it also helps to answer another pressing concern regarding the Book of Daniel, primarily when was the text actually written.

Nabodinus, Last Great King of Babylon