Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle
The texts that rescued Belshazzar from the charge of being a biblical invention
Found 1854 — J. E. Taylor (British consul at Basra) at Ur, in the ziggurat's corners; the Nabonidus Chronicle (BM 35382) was acquired by the British Museum in 1879 and published by T. G. Pinches in 1882
Where Ur (Tell el-Muqayyar) and Babylon (Iraq)
Dates from c. 555–539 BCE · Neo-Babylonian · Last years of Babylon; Daniel 5
Now at British Museum, London (Ur cylinders and Nabonidus Chronicle); the Sippar cylinder is in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Names a biblical person Belshazzar
How Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle was found
Four identical clay cylinders had been placed as foundation deposits in the ziggurat of Ur. The chronicle tablet came from Babylon via the antiquities market.
What it is
The Ur cylinders record Nabonidus rebuilding the temple of the moon god Sin and end with a prayer for himself and 'Belshazzar, my firstborn son, my offspring'. The Nabonidus Chronicle reports that the king stayed for years in Tema in Arabia while 'the crown prince, the officials and the army were in Akkad', and that Babylon fell to Cyrus's forces without a battle on 16 Tishri (12 October) 539 BCE. The 'Verse Account of Nabonidus' adds that he 'entrusted the kingship' to his eldest son.
Why it matters for the Bible
Before 1854 Belshazzar was known only from Daniel 5, and no Greek historian listed him among Babylon's kings; critics called him fictional. These texts show he was real, was the crown prince, and effectively ruled Babylon while his father was away. This even explains why Daniel is offered the 'third' place in the kingdom (Daniel 5:16) — Nabonidus and Belshazzar held the first two. Daniel calls Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar's 'father', which fits ancient usage for an ancestor or predecessor, though there was no blood link. The fall of Babylon 'in that night' matches the chronicle's sudden, bloodless capture.
The Hebrew word: me-NEH me-NEH te-KEL oo-far-SEEN
מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין
מְנֵא מְנֵא תְּקֵל וּפַרְסִין is pronounced me-NEH me-NEH te-KEL oo-far-SEEN and means the writing on the wall (Aramaic): numbered, weighed, divided (Strong's H4484 + H8625 + H6537).
People this discovery connects to
- Belshazzar — בֵּלְשַׁאצַּר (bel-shah-TSAR) — Akkadian Bel-sharra-usur, 'Bel protect the king'
- Daniel — דָּנִיֵּאל (dah-nee-YEL) — God is my judge
Places
- Babylon — בָּבֶל (bah-VEL) — gate of god
Events
Belshazzar's feast and the fall of Babylon (539 BCE)
Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle in Scripture
Daniel 5:1 King Belshazzar's feast — the prince the cylinders name as Nabonidus's firstborn. (First mention of Belshazzar.)
Daniel 5:16 Daniel is offered the 'third' rank — sensible only if two men (Nabonidus and Belshazzar) already ruled.
Daniel 5:30-31 Belshazzar is killed that night and the kingdom passes to the Medes and Persians; the chronicle dates Babylon's fall to October 539.
Questions people ask
What is Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle?
The Ur cylinders record Nabonidus rebuilding the temple of the moon god Sin and end with a prayer for himself and 'Belshazzar, my firstborn son, my offspring'. The Nabonidus Chronicle reports that the king stayed for years in Tema in Arabia while 'the crown prince, the officials and the army were in Akkad', and that Babylon fell to Cyrus's forces without a battle on 16 Tishri (12 October) 539 BCE. The 'Verse Account of Nabonidus' adds that he 'entrusted the kingship' to his eldest son.
When was Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle discovered?
It was found in 1854 by J. E. Taylor (British consul at Basra) at Ur, in the ziggurat's corners; the Nabonidus Chronicle (BM 35382) was acquired by the British Museum in 1879 and published by T. G. Pinches in 1882, at Ur (Tell el-Muqayyar) and Babylon.
Where is Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle today?
British Museum, London (Ur cylinders and Nabonidus Chronicle); the Sippar cylinder is in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
Which Bible verses does Nabonidus Cylinders and the Nabonidus Chronicle relate to?
Daniel 5:1, Daniel 5:16, Daniel 5:30-31.
Related discoveries
- בֵּלְשַׁאצַּרNabonidus ChronicleBabylonian chronicle recording the night Babylon fell to the army of Cyrus
- בָּבֶלIshtar Gate and Processional Way of BabylonNebuchadnezzar's glazed-brick gateway, the Babylon the exiles walked into
- בֵּלEast India House Inscription of NebuchadnezzarThe king's own account of rebuilding Babylon's temples, palaces and walls
- שִׁקּוּץ מְשֹׁמֵםCoins of Antiochus IV EpiphanesSilver tetradrachms of the king who desecrated the Temple, styling himself 'God Manifest'
- אַחְמְתָאEcbatana (Hamadan) and the Tomb of Esther and MordecaiThe Median capital where Cyrus's decree was found, and Iran's shrine to the heroes of Purim
- גַּנָּבSardis: The Lydian Wall and the Sack of 547 BCEThe fallen soldiers of a city taken 'like a thief' by Cyrus
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Nabonidus Cylinder'
- Beaulieu, The Reign of Nabonidus, King of Babylon 556–539 B.C. (1989)
- Grayson, Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles (1975), Chronicle 7
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