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Nebuchadnezzar II

King of Babylon 605-562 BCE, whose name two rebels took against Darius in 522-521

Nebuchadnezzar II was the greatest king of the Neo-Babylonian empire, the builder of much of the Babylon the Persians took. In 522-521 two men raised Babylon against Darius under his name: Nidintu-Bel, who claimed to be Nebuchadnezzar son of Nabonidus, and the Armenian Arakha.

In the game: The game names Nebuchadnezzar through the two rebels in the Bagastana level's Chronicle, chatter and Encyclopedia.

The builder of Babylon

In the record

Nebuchadnezzar's building inscriptions describe the walls, the Ishtar Gate with its glazed-brick dragons and bulls, the palaces and the great ziggurat of Babylon. Bricks stamped with his name are found across the city. The Babylon Herodotus describes is largely his.

Nebuchadnezzar's building inscriptions; Herodotus 1.178-187

Conqueror of Jerusalem

In the record

The Babylonian Chronicle records that he took Jerusalem in 597, and the Hebrew Bible says he destroyed it in 587-586 and carried its people to Babylon. Cyrus later let the exiles return, as the book of Ezra tells.

Babylonian Chronicle; 2 Kings 24-25; Ezra 1

The first false Nebuchadnezzar

In the record

Darius says a Babylonian named Nidintu-Bel lied to the people, saying he was Nebuchadnezzar son of Nabonidus, and Babylon went over to him. Darius beat him on the Tigris and at Zazana and took Babylon. Tablets dated to a Nebuchadnezzar of 522 confirm the reign.

Behistun inscription §16-20; Babylonian tablets

The second

In the record

In 521, Darius says, an Armenian named Arakha rose at Babylon, also calling himself Nebuchadnezzar son of Nabonidus. Darius's general Intaphernes took the city, and Arakha and his chief men were impaled. Taking the old king's name shows how strong his memory still was.

Behistun inscription §49-50