Nabonidus, the last king of the
Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 556–539 BC and a
Biblical figure, mentioned his son Belshazaar, on one of the clay cylinders he
commissioned, where he also describes his renovation of the temple of Ur. While he did
not ignore the gods of Babylon during his reign, Nabonidus did not treat them
in the approved way, and gave much attention to the moon god at two other
cities, Ur and Harran. I believe he is
setting forth the wish that his son remain politically astute as to what
religious cult of the day he aligns himself with. With history being written
and rewritten by the conquerors, and religion and power hand-in-hand throughout
history, this is a not-so-subtle hint to his successor to choose his allies
wisely, perhaps based on some negative fallout Nabonidus endured for his
choices, or as a forshadowing because he knew the jig was up for him. Cyrus,
Nabonidus’ conqueror, claimed the Babylonian god favored Cyrus.
By murdering the Sheik of
Shiraz, who in turn, had murdered Amat, Belshazaar’s beloved. The Sheik had
been unforgivably unkind to Amat and the other women in his harem. His contempt
for the feminine and the Goddess put him in a most unlovable camp, as far as
Belshazaar was concerned. Bel honored Amat and her heroism after her death by
commissioning the Cylinder that bore her story, creating an artifact that
honored the divine feminine and Amat in particular.
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