120 TffEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, LL.D. M.E.A.S., ON 



Belshazzar. his son, as son of Nelmchadrezzar," suggests another, 

 namely, that Nabonidus had espoused a princess of Nebuchad- 

 rezzar's family. Two copies of a contract in the British Museum, 

 moreover, make a certain i^'abonidus to have borne the title 

 "king of the city" (probably Babylon), but whether this had 

 anything to do with the last king of Babylon or not is uncertain. 

 We shall return to this subject, however, later on. (See pp. 19-20.) 



Unfortunately the Babylonian Chronicle dealing with N'aboni- 

 dus's reign is very incomplete. Toward the beginning of this 

 record, some ruler, probably a Babylonian, is said to have stayed 

 for a time at Hamath {mat Hamdti) in the month Tebet. After 

 this he seems to have gone to Ammananu (mount Amanus ?) to 

 cut down trees. Later on, the Chronicle has a reference to the 

 sea of the Land of Amurrii — that is, the Mediterranean coast, 

 which the Babylonian king, imitating his predecessors of older 

 time, may have visited. Kemains of other lines suggest details, 

 but nothing really certain, and then comes a gap. Whether 

 the above, and the historical statements which must have 

 occupied the gap, refer to the reign of Nabonidus or not, is 

 uncertain. 



Where the text is again readable, however, there is no doubt 

 that the reign referred to is that of Nabonidus. This paragraph 

 speaks of As ty ages' march against Cyrus, the revolt of the army 

 of the former against him, and their handing him as a prisoner 

 to Cyrus. Cyrus then entered Ecbatana, Astyages' capital, and 

 took a great quantity of booty. 



According to the great cylinder-inscription of Nabonidus, this 

 had been revealed to him three years previously in a dream, in 

 which, when the Modes were besieging Haran, Merodach com- 

 manded Nabonidus to rebuild the temple of the moon-god Sin 

 in that city. The Babylonian king, however, did not know that 

 the army of Astyages had revolted against him, and delivered 

 him to Cyrus, " his (Merodacli's) young servant," but he refers 

 to the booty captured by the Anzanite* king. ISTabonidus then 

 goes on to give details of his restoration of the temple at Haran, 

 which city would probably yield many important records to the 

 explorer. 



Noteworthy is the fact, that the writer of the Babylonian 

 Chronicle was not so liberal-minded as the king of Babylon, who 

 speaks so appreciatively of Cyrus. As far as one can judge, any 

 great and praiseworthy deeds that jSTabonidus may have done 



* Anzan or Ansan was a portion of Elam, and under Cyrus's rule. 



