Nebuchadnezzar II

Lore & Background

Nebuchadnezzar II secured renown during his father's reign, leading armies in the Medo-Babylonian conquest of the Assyrian Empire. At the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, he inflicted a crushing defeat on an Egyptian army led by Pharaoh Necho II, ensuring the Neo-Babylonian Empire would succeed the Neo-Assyrian Empire as the dominant power in the ancient Near East. Shortly after this victory, Nabopolassar died and Nebuchadnezzar became king. Despite his successful military career under his father, his early reign saw few achievements and a disastrous failed invasion of Egypt, leading some vassals to doubt Babylon's power and causing rebellions. After putting down insurrections in the east, he turned to the Levant in the 580s BC, engaging in campaigns against rebellious vassal states. In 587 BC he besieged Jerusalem, destroyed it and the Kingdom of Judah, and deported much of its population in what became known as the Babylonian captivity, earning him notoriety in Jewish history. Through this conquest, the capture of Tyre, and other campaigns, he restored the empire's fortunes.

Reader's Guide

Nebuchadnezzar II is significant as the longest-reigning king of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty and one of the most powerful rulers of his time. His military campaigns, especially the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity, had a lasting impact on Jewish history and are recorded in secondary sources in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Beyond warfare, he is remembered as a great builder who erected many of Babylon's religious buildings, including the Esagila and Etemenanki, embellished its palaces, and beautified its ceremonial centre through renovations to the processional street and the Ishtar Gate. Most of his inscriptions deal with building projects rather than military accomplishments, leading historians to view him primarily as a builder for a time. However, few cuneiform sources survive for much of his reign, so historical reconstructions rely on later secondary sources and contract tablets, which present challenges in distinguishing history from tradition. The best approach combines written sources and archaeological evidence to gain insight into his reign.

Did You Know?

• Nebuchadnezzar II's name in Akkadian was Nabû-kudurri-uṣur, meaning 'Nabu, watch over my heir'.
• He was possibly named after his grandfather of the same name or after Nebuchadnezzar I, one of Babylon's greatest warrior-kings.
• The alternative anglicisation 'Nebuchadrezzar' derives from how the name is rendered in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
• There are few cuneiform sources for the period between 594 BC and 557 BC, which covers much of his reign.