Image: Nabonidus praying to the sun, moon, and Venus

Alan Lenzi at Bible and Ancient Near East is reporting that archaeologists have found a new inscription mentioning the name of Nabonidus (Nabû-na’id), king of Babylon.

According to Alan’s blog, this cuneiform text was discovered in the oasis of Tayma (Saudi Arabia) near a building which has been tentatively identified as a temple.

Nabonidus (556-539 B.C.) was the last king of Babylon. Babylon fell to Cyrus, king of Persia in 539 B.C. In the last ten years of his reign, Nabonidus lived at Tayma from where he ruled Babylon.

Because Nabonidus favored the moon god Sin, the priests of Marduk, the main god of Babylon, revolted against Nabonidus. Nabonidus departed Babylon to Tayma and left his son Belshazzar to govern the city as a coregent. Belshazzar is mentioned in the 5th chapter of the book of Daniel

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

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