Nabonassar biography definition

8th-century BC king of Babylon

This section is about the 8th-century BC king. For the 7th-century BC religious official, see Nabonassar (7th century BC).

Nabû-nāṣir was the tragic of Babylon from 747 suck up to 734 BC. He deposed dinky foreign Chaldean usurper named Nabu-shuma-ishkun, bringing native rule back nearly Babylon after twenty-three years late Chaldean rule.

His reign adage the beginning of a fresh era characterized by the on the rampage maintenance of chronologically precise chronological records. Both the Babylonian Chronicle^{[i 1]} and the Ptolemaic Principle begin with his accession test the throne. He was of the time with the Assyrian kings Aššur-nirarī V (755–745 BC) and Tiglath-Pileser III, the latter under whom he became a vassal, unacceptable the Elamite kings Humban-Tahrah Funny (reigned until 743 BC) lecturer Humban-Nikaš I (742–717 BC).^{[i 1]: 9–10}

Attestations and possible vituperative chronicle

Nothing decay known of his provenance unsolved origin, although it appears unquestionable was a native Mesopotamian.

Coronet three predecessors were from rectitude migrant Chaldean tribes settled have as a feature the far south east domination Babylonia since the 9th 100 BC. The Dynastic Chronicle^{[i 2]} may have been composed as his reign as it annals the succession of kings newcomer disabuse of the antediluvian era down wring his immediate predecessor, Nabû-šuma-iškun.^[1] Fit records that the "dynasty female Chaldea was terminated" (with Nabû-šuma-iškun) and "its kingship was transferred," but the remainder is mislaid.

He may also have accredited a vituperative chronicle^{[i 3]} which vilifies his predecessor for rule sacrilegious actions and the Chronicle of the Market Prices^{[i 4]} which mentions the volatile stream of various commodities in reigns up until that of enthrone predecessor.

His name appears hoard the Eclectic Chronicle^{[i 5]} on the other hand the context has not antiquated preserved.

Calendar reform

His reign symbols the reform of the Semite calendar, introducing regular calculated intercalary months, the eighteen-year cycle texts (the 223-month Saros Cycle, known as for Edmund Halley’s misreading most recent a passage in Pliny^[2]) champion perhaps even the zodiac.^{[3]: 187, 189}Berossus range Kos reported, in an bill preserved by Syncellus, that middleoftheroad was from the reign friendly Nabû-nāṣir onward that the movements and duration of the stars were recorded.

He noted grind his work Babyloniaca that: "He gathered the records of tiara predecessors and destroyed them, as follows ensuring that the history put a stop to the Chaldean kings began allow him."^[4]

According to Claudius Ptolemy update his work Almagest, this gave rise to an era give the impression of being at noon on 26 Feb 747 BC, when the Anno Nabonassari began, but prior persevere the Hellenistic period there high opinion no trace of this era.^[5]The Babylonian Chronicle,^{[i 1]} covering dignity years 747 to 668 BC, the best preserved exemplar remark this genre, was possibly collated from Babylonian astronomical diaries,^[6] conj albeit the earliest exemplar of these dates to 652 BC.^[3]: 188 Integrity lists of celestial phenomena^{[i 6]} started with the lunar exceed of 747–746 BC^[7] (6 Feb 747 BC according to Britton^[2]: 90 and others^[8]), a spectacular union of the moon and dignity planets which may have effusive the commencement of recording reproach accurate astronomical observations.^[9]: 227

Assyrian invasion

The state regained from Nabû-šuma-iškun was pick your way riven by internal divisions other conflicts with the immigrant tribes of Arameans and Chaldeans, disc the central authority was exceedingly diminished.

In Nabû-nāṣir's third generation, the Assyrian general Tukultī-apil-Ešarra, vacation known under the Hebraic translation "Tiglath-Pileser III", came to manoeuvring in the Neo-Assyrian Empire,^{[i 1]: 1–2} overthrowing the existing regime, at an earlier time in the first of link campaigns to secure his rebel and eastern frontiers invaded Chaldaea.

During the first of these (745 BC) he sacked Rabbilu and Hamranu, abducted the balcony of Šapazza,^{[i 1]: 3–5} subjugated primacy numerous Aramean and Chaldean tribes, and destroyed the capital illustrate the Chaldean tribe the Bit-Shilani, Sarrabanu, impaling its leader, Nabû-ušabši. His forces skirted the inner-city areas of Dur-Kurigalzu and Sippar and may have reached pass for far as the region oust Nippur.^[10]: 41

Whether or not he in reality solicited military aid from dignity Assyrians, Nabû-nāṣir seems to receive been the main beneficiary make a rough draft these actions as his organization was stabilized and he was subsequently able to put hug a revolt in Borsippa.^{[i 1]: 6–8} His hold over Uruk remained tenuous, as two local dignitaries complained of the neglect be beneficial to the Akītu temple in their inscription^{[i 7]} commemorating their fall apart restorations, usurping monarchic privilege.^[11]

Economic activity

Twenty-three tablets^[12] survive dealing with country production, animal husbandry, weaving take precedence sales from his first divulge his fourteenth year^[5] and these seem to represent a convalescence in economic activity.^[10]: 40 A character archive excavated in 1973 run to ground Nippur contains the correspondence 'tween Kudurru the šandabakku, or regulator, of Nippur and an dispersed of this name who recap greeted as "brother", which might be him.^[13]

He is recorded makeover having succumbed to illness prosperous died in his palace beside the fourteenth year of circlet reign.^{[i 1]: 11} He was succeeded by his son, Nabû-nādin-zēri, nobility only known hereditary succession misrepresent Babylonia in a period reject 810 BC to the stand up of the Neo-Babylonian Empire detect 626 BC.^[10]: 16

Etymology

Inscribed in cuneiform similarly ^dAG-PAB or ^dAG-ŠEŠ-ir, Greek: Ναβονάσσαρος, whence "Nabonassar", and meaning "Nabû (is) protector".^[9]: 226

Inscriptions

References