Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar II
641 av. J.-C. — 561 av. J.-C.
empire néo-babylonien
King of Babylon from 604 to 562 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II brought the Neo-Babylonian Empire to its height. He conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple of Solomon, and deported the Hebrews to Babylonia. A great builder, he is associated with the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Key Facts
- 604 BC: accession to the throne of Babylon following the death of his father Nabopolassar
- 597 BC: first capture of Jerusalem and deportation of part of the Judean elite
- 587–586 BC: destruction of the Temple of Solomon and mass deportation of the Hebrews (Babylonian captivity)
- 562 BC: death of Nebuchadnezzar II after forty-three years of reign
- Presumed construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Works & Achievements
Nebuchadnezzar transformed Babylon into a monumental metropolis: a double brick wall, the Southern and Northern Palaces, a processional avenue 250 metres long — an urban complex unmatched in the ancient world.
A masterpiece of Neo-Babylonian architecture, this monumental gate was covered in blue glazed bricks decorated with mythological animals and marked the entrance to the processional avenue. It has been reconstructed at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
Terraced gardens traditionally attributed to Nebuchadnezzar and considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Whether they actually existed remains a subject of debate among modern archaeologists.
A great stepped tower dedicated to the god Marduk and the probable inspiration for the biblical Tower of Babel. Nebuchadnezzar completed or restored its construction; estimates suggest it stood around 90 metres tall.
A series of military expeditions that extended the Neo-Babylonian Empire to the Mediterranean, subjugating the kingdoms of Judah, Ammon, and Moab as well as the Phoenician city-states, and securing control of key trade routes.
Nebuchadnezzar invested heavily in Mesopotamia's hydraulic network, digging and restoring canals that irrigated the Babylonian plain and ensured the agricultural prosperity of the empire.
Anecdotes
During the siege of Jerusalem in 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II did not stop at looting the Temple: he carried off King Jehoiachin along with the entire Judean elite — craftsmen, priests, and warriors. This mass deportation, known as the 'first deportation', was designed to strip the land of its brightest minds and crush any future resistance.
The destruction of Solomon's Temple in 586 BC remains one of the most traumatic events in Jewish history. Nebuchadnezzar ordered the sanctuary burned after an eighteen-month siege that reduced Jerusalem to famine. The grief over this catastrophe is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, in the Book of Lamentations attributed to the prophet Jeremiah.
The famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are said to have been built by Nebuchadnezzar for his wife Amytis, who grew lonely on the flat Mesopotamian plain and longed for the green mountains of her native Media. No archaeological remains have ever been found, which continues to fuel debate about whether they actually existed.
The Bible recounts in the Book of Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar was struck by a strange divine madness: he wandered naked through the fields, eating grass like an ox for seven years, before regaining his sanity and acknowledging the power of the God of Israel. This account, likely symbolic or legendary, nonetheless reflects the lasting impression the king made on the collective memory of the peoples he conquered.
Primary Sources
In the fifth year of King Jehoiachin of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and the city was taken. He carried the king away to Babylon, along with the treasures of the house of the Lord.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, marched against Jerusalem and the city was besieged. He burned the house of the Lord, the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, paved the processional way of Babylon with limestone slabs for the procession of the great lord Marduk. May Marduk, lord of the gods, grant me eternal life.
In the ninth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, marched with his entire army against Jerusalem and besieged it. The city was taken.
Rations of oil and barley granted to Jehoiachin, king of the land of Judah, and his five sons, held in Babylon under the custody of the royal palace.
Key Places
Capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, Nebuchadnezzar transformed it into the largest city of the ancient world, with its massive walls, processional way, the Ishtar Gate, and the ziggurat Etemenanki — the likely inspiration for the biblical Tower of Babel.
Nebuchadnezzar besieged and captured Jerusalem twice (597 and 586 BC), destroying the Temple of Solomon during the second siege and deporting most of the Judean population to Babylonia.
Site of the decisive battle of 605 BC, where Nebuchadnezzar, still crown prince, crushed the Egyptian army and secured Babylonian dominance over the entire Fertile Crescent.
A Phoenician island city that Nebuchadnezzar besieged for thirteen years (585–573 BC) without fully subduing it, highlighting the limits of Babylonian power against coastal strongholds.
A major holy city of Mesopotamia whose temples and canals Nebuchadnezzar restored. The Murašû archive, discovered at this site, bears witness to the presence and gradual integration of Judean deportees in Babylonia.