Margaret Hunter – Page 21 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on November 6, 2012May 25, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Athens Thrives 700 – 500 BC

Athens is one of the world’s oldest and recognized cities that existed from ancient times. The ancient Athenians claimed that the city was founded by the mythical Greek goddess Athena. This particular Greek deity supposedly held a contest against the sea god Poseidon over the city of Athens. Whoever gave the city the best gift would be given the honor of naming this acropolis. Athena gave the city an olive tree and proved to be the victor. The city was instantly named after her and she became its chief deity. It’s culture thrived from 700 to 500 BC which is where it appears on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History.

The area where Athens is situated is also known as Attica. The early inhabitants of Attica lived in tribal groups. The early inhabitants of Athens considered themselves to be from the original Greek settlers known as the Ionians. After being identified as Athens the Ionian tribal groups that resided in ancient Athens began to form into a city state around 800 B.C. Athens began to conquer many of the other tribes and started to absorb them into their city and by 700 B.C. the city had become a major economic, political and military center.

Since Athens was located in the Attica region which is positioned in the southeastern part of modern day Greece; it was strategically positioned for trade with other major kingdoms and empires throughout the Mesopotamian and Middle Eastern areas of the world. Places such as Egypt, Carthage, Iberia and Tyre had all traded with the Athenians at one point or another between 700 B.C. and 500 B.C. The city also had a powerful navy to protect the homeland and its oversea trade routes. Though the city of Athens fought in some major conflicts they were not a people known for their superior fighting skills they were renown for their establishing government and political systems that would influence major world empires such as Rome and even the United States.

The city of Athens was originally governed by ruling monarchs. Eventually the monarchy form of government was replaced by a council of nobles. The nobles were the high council of government and they organized the middle class citizens into a secondary ruling class. They were called the “eclesia” and they were tightly controlled by the nobles. Civil unrest was a common aspect of Athens society throughout the 7th century B.C. This particular type of civil unrest made the conditions within Athens at the time favorable for tyrants. Many other Greek city states were being ruled by tyrants during the 7th century B.C. Because of this type of threat the council enacted some important legislation to protect the city from tyrants and to keep people from rebelling.

The ruling classes had so much power that they were literally enslaving the other members of Athenian society. Many lower class citizens who couldn’t meet their financial obligations had their land taken away from them and they were forced to work off their debts. This particular practice had become widespread and many people suffered under this system. So laws were passed that canceled out the debt and forbade people from trading in their freedom in order to pay off a debt. Wealthy landowners were also limited with how much property they could control. Higher level offices were now controlled by powerful landholders and a council of lower level citizens was created as well. These set of laws would be used to help form the concept of democracy. These laws were established by a man named Cylon.

Another man named Draco became the ruler during the 6th century B.C. His laws were extremely hard and harsh against the aristocratic members of his society. His punishments for crimes, especially murder, were enforced. His set of laws is remembered throughout the ages for being harsh and cruel.

Though the city state of Athens had many challenges between the years 700 B.C. to 500 B.C. they were able to grow their kingdom into an economic and political power.Much of the history of Athens has been recorded and preserved throughout the ages by its people, historians and its conquerors. These historical accounts reveal how Athenian politics, laws and society have come to strongly influence western civilization in modern times.

References:
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ac45
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Athens
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/history/t2-1historical.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Athens_Montage_2.jpg

Posted on November 5, 2012September 30, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — 1 Comment

Tullus Hostilius of Rome

Tullus Hostilius was a Sabine, who became ruler of Rome. His grandfather Hostus Hostilius, who fought against the Sabine’s for Rome’s first king, Romulus. The Roman’s had taken the Sabine women from their husbands and fathers, and this caused a war between the two tribes. The war ended when the women told the men that they preferred the Roman’s over the Sabines.

Tulius-Hostilius_of_Rome — Tulius-Hostilius

Rome then tried to live in peace with the men of Sabine by allowing them to participate in Roman society. Tillus Hostilius spent most of his time in warfare. He appears on the Biblical Timeline beginning around 673 BC. King Tullus began his reign in 673 B.C.

While he was in power, he attacked the ancient Roman city of Alba Longa which was home to the first Etruscan king before Rome was founded. Tullus defeated this city and welcomed the people of Alba Longa into Rome. After he had tried to treat the Albans with peace, their leader betrayed him, and he had him killed. He continued to make war against many other Italian tribes such as the Fidenae, Veientines, and the Sabines.

Tullus Hostilius didn’t pay too much attention to his civic or religious responsibilities. War was his primary focus. He mainly fought against other tribes and began to establish Rome as a powerful force to be reckoned with. Through his efforts, he absorbed many tribes around Rome and forced some of them to pay tribute. He used the defeated nobles and people of Alba Longa to increase and strengthen his military forces. His cavalry units were made up of Alban horsemen, and Alban soldiers filled the ranks of his army.

Tullus Hostilius might have been a great warrior-king, but he wasn’t a good administrator. Even though this was the case, he still placed some of the defeated nobles from Alba Longa as members of the Senate. He also built them their own council hall called Curia Hostilia. Also, it was King Tullus’ duty to lead the empire in religious service but he didn’t care for the ceremony. Eventually, he had to give in to this particular requirement when pestilence had struck Rome and affected his royal house. He then decided to honor the gods by performing his priestly duty, but he didn’t perform the ceremony in the right way. As a result, he was struck by lightening and killed.

Most of what is known about Tullus Hostilius comes from a Roman historian named Titus Livius Patavinus. He was also known as Livy. Most of the events that he ascribes to Tullus’ reign were considered true by many historians. But they also state that some parts of Livy’s explanation of King Tullus’ reign were fictional or more of a myth. Scholars do not doubt that King Hostilius expanded the boundaries of Rome, but they are not quite sure he died from lightning strikes from some angry god. Once again fact and fiction might have been mixed over the years when Livy wrote about King Tullus. Livy was born 600 years after Tullus Hostilius so some of his work could have been interwoven with fictional accounts of this ancient Roman king.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Tullus_Hostilius http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/p/tullushostilius.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livy http://dante.udallas.edu/hutchison/Seven_kings/king_hostilius.htm http://www.mythindex.com/roman-mythology/T/Tullus-Hostilius.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tulius-Hostilius.jpg

Posted on November 4, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Numa Pompilius of Rome

Many historians and scholars claim that ancient Rome was one of the greatest empires to have existed on Earth. This empire has established many of the components that are an integral part of any modern society. This includes government, roads (highways) and extensive commercial markets are but a few of the societal attributes that were established and perfected during the era of Rome. According to legend, Rome was supposed to have been founded by two brothers named Romulus and Remus. The legend claims that when Romulus and Remus were building Rome, Romulus killed his brother Remus because he had belittled his efforts for protecting the city. After Remus was slain Romulus then became the first king of Rome. No one is certain about what happened to Romulus, but he supposedly had disappeared after he offered a public sacrifice. After his departure, Rome was governed by a group of men called a Senate. Eventually the senate elected Numa Pompilius as the second king of Rome. His reign began around 715 B.C. which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline.

Numa Pompilius wasn’t a warrior king but more of a statesman and politician. Roman historical records claim that he was shrewd and very wise. He is credited with starting religious and political institutions. He built temples to one of Rome’s chief deities known as Janus. He established property laws by creating a god named Terminus. This particular deity had a set of rules that governed how men and Rome should live in harmony with their neighbors and fellow citizens. He created various offices and duties for civic workers, and he contributed a calendar system that influenced the modern calendar in use today. Numa came up with the months of January and February, and he adjusted the lunar and solar years that also would become a feature of modern day calendars.

Guilds and unions were also set up within the empire by Numa. He created these intuitions as a means to designate people to their proper roles within society and not to allow them to rise above their fellow man in prominence. He also didn’t want the people to worship images of deities within temples. He actually forbade the creation of images that represented their ancient gods. Once Numa had taken over the throne, he disbanded his royal bodyguard which was done to show people that he was a man of peace. It should also be stated that Numa was a very religious man who did not desire violence.

Numa was the son of Titus Tiatus, and he was a Sabine. In another legend surrounding the former King Romulus, the Romans supposedly had stolen the wives of a nearby tribe called the Sabines. Once the Sabines realized what had happened, they went to war against the Romans. Eventually, peace was made even though the Sabine women preferred the Roman males over their own men. As a sign of true peace, Romulus made Titus Tiatus a coregent with him while he ruled. After Romulus had died, he no longer retained his power because of the Senate but his son Numa was eventually elected to the position of ruler. Numa Pompilius ruled Rome from 715 B.C. to 673 B.C.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numa_Pompilius
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/numapompilius/ss/010411-Numa-Pompilius.htm
http://www.bible-history.com/links.php?cat=47&sub=4571&subcat_name=Numa+Pompilius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Numa_Pompilius.jpg

Posted on November 2, 2012April 25, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Sametik III Defeated by Cambyses

Sametik III was sometimes referred to as Psametik III, and he was the last ruler of Egypt before the empire was conquered by the Persians under Cambyses. His reign marked the beginning of the end of the Egyptians as a superpower in the world. Once the Egyptians were brought under Persian rule during the reign of Cambyses II, they never again became a prominent nation in world affairs. The defeat appears on the Bible Timeline in the sixth century BC.

Psametik III was born to Amasis II, and he had a wife and son. He became pharaoh of Egypt after his father died in 526 B.C. Once he gained power in Egypt he had an extremely brief rule before the Persians showed up at the borders of Egypt. A historian named Herodotus said he only ruled the Egyptians six months before the Persians arrived.

Sametik_III_Defeated_by_Cambyses — Cambyses II of Persia.

Cambyses II was the son of Cyrus the Great, and he became the ruler of the Persian Empire around 530 B.C. Before he became the king, he was a priest. Cambyses II had joined his father during his Babylonian campaign and witnessed first hand how Cyrus was subjecting the various empires and nations under his control. Cyrus the Great had finally subdued many of the world’s leading kingdoms and empires including the Israelites and Judeans so he turned his attention to the Egyptians who were the final empire that remained independent of Persia.

Cambyses II took an army and marched them through the desert to assault Egypt. He had the aid of Arabian tribes to assist him through the desert when he marched against Egypt. Once he arrived at the borders of Egypt, he attacked a border fortress at Pelusium and defeated the Egyptians in battle. He then moved his forces into the main cities of Egypt and eventually brought the kingdom to its knees. Psamtik III tried his best to repel the Persians, but it was no use their army was far superior.

The Egyptians were also encountering God’s will in the sense that he already ordained the Persians to become the next dominate power in the world. The Egyptians were fighting a losing battle before it even began.

After Cambyses conquered Psamtik and the rest of the Egyptian army in the city of Memphis he then ordered the death of 2000 of Egypt’s upper-class citizens including Psamtik’s III son. Historians also claim that Cambyses rule the city with cruelty and rage once he conquered Egypt. After slaughtering 2000 of Egypt’s most prominent citizens, he then imprisoned Psamtik III. Cambyses turned his daughter into a slave. Psamtik III was treated with respect while in captivity until Cambyses II discovered he had been involved in a plot to lead a rebellion against Persia.

During Cambyses II time in Egypt, he tried to extend further the might of the Persian Empire by attacking Abyssinia and Carthage. The army he sent to invade Carthage from Egypt had disappeared altogether. The Egyptians claim that Cambyses II was a hard and cruel ruler while the Persians assert that he was fair and just. Often time when Persia had conquered a kingdom they would leave some soldiers in key areas and set up a governor of their choosing. As long as the people paid tribute and whatever taxes that the empire demanded they would not be harmed. Cambyses II did more than just place a satrapy in the land he tried to rule personally the area. Unfortunately for him this became his undoing. Historians and scholars claim that he went home an insane and discouraged man. Egypt never again gained prominence as a world power once they were defeated by the Persians under Cambyses II.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psamtik_III
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/481160/Psamtik-III
http://www.livius.org/ps-pz/psammetichus/psammetichus_iii.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambyses
http://www.livius.org/caa-can/cambyses_ii/cambyses_ii.html
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Cambyses.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cambyses_II_of_Persia.jpg

Posted on November 1, 2012May 10, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Egypt Subject to Persia

Egypt was a very powerful kingdom for thousands of years, and they ruled many lands and people all throughout the Middle East and Mesopotamia. Even though the Egyptians were a powerful and strong empire they were also a very pagan kingdom that constantly refuted God and his people. God finally had enough of Egypt and decided to judge the nation. He first used the Assyrians and then the Babylonians and finally the Persians to carry out his plans against Egypt.

Various prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah all spoke out prophecies against this empire until it no longer remained relevant. The Persian conquest is on the Biblical Timeline at the end of the sixth century BC God declared in the Bible that he was going to make Cyrus the Great a powerful ruler of the Persian Empire.

He was also going to use this empire to judge the nations that have rebelled against him. He judged the Babylonians, the Israelites, the Judeans and the Egyptians. After Cyrus had passed his son, Cambyses had carried out the conquest and dominance Egypt. Persia dominated Egypt starting in 525 B.C. they controlled the land and forced the Egyptians to pay them tribute until the Egyptians revolted in 490 BC. This revolt proved to be futile, but four years later the Egyptians managed to gain their independence. Even though they were able to be freed from direct Persian rule, they were constantly harassed by these people.

Eventually the Persians brought the Egyptians back under control and forced them to pay tribute. When Persia ruled Egypt, it was known as the Achaemenid period. Achaemenid was the official name of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great. Whenever Persia ruled over Egypt, they used satraps to govern the land. Many of the satraps carried out Persia’s agenda while they ruled. Life under Persia remained normal for most Egyptian people with the exception that tribute and taxes were paid to this foreign power. The Persians also controlled key aspects of Egyptian society such food production and military affairs. The Persians allowed the Egyptians to still worship their gods.

Even though many of the Persian rulers dominated Egypt, they were also influenced by this great civilization. A great deal of Persian people migrated to Egypt during this era and had grown accustomed to their lives in this kingdom. Many Egyptian people tried to overthrow Persian domination when they ruled, but they were unable to rid completely themselves from the Persians. A lot of the Egyptian temples were destroyed during the Persian conquest. They also had to deal with other nuances from the Persians and the Egyptians made it a habit to throw constantly off the Persian yoke.

All throughout the 4 century B.C. the Persians had to keep constantly Egyptian rebellion to a minimum. The years 485, 463 and 405 B.C. the Persians contained many rebellions except one that occurred in 405 B.C. The Egyptians finally had some success during the reign of Artaxerxes II. Egypt had used many different allies to help them to help shake off Persian rule including the Greeks and the some of the people of Cush. Egyptian independence was short lived. From the time of the Persian conquest up until nearly modern times, Egypt had been ruled by one empire or nation.

References:
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/history/persians.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Persian_Egypt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Achaemenid_Egypt http://www.livius.org/caa-can/cambyses_ii/cambyses_ii.html http://www.worldology.com/Iraq/persian_empire.htm http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Egyptian-Chariot.png

Posted on October 31, 2012September 17, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — 3 Comments

Necho or Nekau II of Egypt

Necho II was a pharaoh of the 26th dynasty of Egypt, and he was used by God to play a crucial role in the crossroads of three kingdoms from the Middle East and Mesopotamian regions. The kingdoms of Assyria, Babylon, and Judah, were all influenced by the decisions of Neco II. He appears on the Old Testament Timeline during the sixth century BC

Necho_II_or_Hekau_II_of_Egypt — Necho II

Necho II name is described as meaning “carrying out the wishes of the heart” or “carrying out the heart”. He was the son of Psammetichus I. He became Pharaoh by marrying Psammetichus I daughter Mehtenweskhet. Though King Necho II spent most of his reign fighting battles he had tried to establish some civil building projects, and he tried to form an Egyptian navy to control the waterways that situated around the Delta area. He also tried to create a canal that extended from the Nile to the Red Sea. His efforts would later be used to lay the groundwork for the Suez Canal which would be built thousands of years later. He was also the father of Psamtik III, who would later become a next Pharaoh caught up in the never-ending Middle Eastern and Mesopotamian crises.

Around 610 B.C., the Assyrians were the most powerful empire in the Middle Eastern and Mesopotamian region. They had power over many of the kingdoms, tribes and cultures that resided in these two areas, and they used their power to collect tribute and slaves from various regions. The kingdom of Babylon was one group of people who were defeated by the Assyrians. They no longer wanted to be ruled by the Assyrians. They rebelled and were a led by a Babylonian general named Nebopolasser against Assyria. With the help of the Medes and the Scythians they were able to overthrow the chief Assyrian city of Nineveh.
The Assyrians were being defeated, and they were not going to hold out without some assistance from the Egyptians. Neco II decided to help the Assyrians, and they marched their armies toward the second Assyrian capital named Harran. While Neco II was crossing the desert near Judah to assist the Assyrians he was intercepted by King Josiah. Pharaoh Neco II told Josiah not to interfere with his plans to help Assyria, but Josiah didn’t listen and ended up losing his life. Judah had to pay tribute to Egypt after this event had occurred.

King Neco II then took his forces on to Assyria to help Asshur-Ubalitt II to hold the city, but it wasn’t any use. Harran had fallen, and Neco II had to flee and later regrouped to fight at Carchemish. The Egyptians would later meet Nebopolasser’s armies at the battle of Carchemish in which Nabopolasser’s forces would soundly defeat the Egyptians. The Egyptians had to leave the area and return home. On his way back to Egypt, Neco II dethroned a Judean king named Jehoiachin and forced him to become a prisoner back in Egypt. He then placed his brother Eliakim on the throne.

A few years had passed since these incidents, and when Neco II returned home, he realized that the Babylonians were right at his borders. King Nebopolasser of Babylon sent his son Nebuchadnezzar to lay siege to Egypt. Pharaoh Neco II could barely hold out against the Babylonians, and they were ultimately forced to pay Babylon tribute. King Neco II tried to find allies who would help him against Babylon, but he wasn’t able to find any. He died in 595 B.C.

References:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407681/Necho-II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necho_II
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/ppersons1_n2/necho.html
http://formerthings.com/necho.htm
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2006/20060129.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necho-KnellingStatue_BrooklynMuseum_c.jpg

Posted on October 30, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Asshur-ubalitt II Last Assyrian Monarch

Asshur-ubalitt II named himself after a former Assyrian king who ruled the land of Assyria around 1350 B.C. Asshur-ubalitt I ruled Assyria during this period of time in which Assyria was beginning to transform itself into a major Mesopotamian empire. Asshur-ublalitt II was the last ruler of the Assyrian empire and his reign signaled the end of the Assyrian empire as a major world power. He appears on the Biblical Timeline Poster 612 BC.

Asshur-ubalitt’s name is derived from Asshur who was the founder of the Assyrian empire. The book of Genesis in the Bible states that a man named Nimrod left the land of Shinar to form the cities Nineveh and Asshur. Genesis also points out that Asshur was the name of a man who was a part of the lineage of Noah’s son Ham. Some historians and scholars claimed that he started the two cities of Asshur and Nineveh. The Assyrians also regarded Asshur as their chief deity. The name Assyrian means “people who come from Asshur” or “people who worship Asshur”. Asshur-ubalitt II was a general who chose this name after he proclaimed himself king.

Asshur-ubalitt II had a very short reign when he took over the Assyrian empire in 612 B.C. He was forced to defend the empire from a rebellious Babylonian, Mede and a Scythian force led by a general named Nebopolasser. The former Assyrian ruler Sin-shar-ishkun had disappeared from history about the time that Nebopolasser overran Nineveh. This happened in 612 B.C. Asshur-ubalitt II was a general who was given instructions to fortify the Assyrian stronghold of Harran. He ascended to the throne after Nineveh had fallen and there wasn’t any king to rule. He immediately had to protect the rest of the Assyrian empire from the advances of the Babylonians.

King Asshur-ubalitt II was a general at the time that he came to power. The former general knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold out against the Babylonians so he called on the help of Neco II from Egypt. Asshur-ubalitt II made himself king of the Assyrians after heard about the fall of Nineveh. He called on the aid of Neco II Pharaoh of the 26th dynasty of Egypt. This particular pharaoh marched to assist the Assyrians because he was prompted to so from God.

The Assyrians had conquered the Egyptians quite a few times in history. Asshur-banipal conquered Egypt around 960 B.C. and in 701 B.C. Sennacherib also took over the Egyptians land. Around 669 B.C. the Assyrians had once again dominated Egypt and supposedly had controlled the territory until 525 B.C. This means that Egypt was paying tribute to Assyria during this time period, but they apparently were able to govern their own affairs since Assyria had to rely on them for help. However, the book of Isaiah does say that the Assyrians would be used by God to defeat the Egyptians.

The Bible says that as King Neco II was crossing through the territory to help the Assyrians, King Josiah of Judah interfered with his arrival to Assyria. King Neco II told Josiah that he was sent from God to help Assyria and that he should not delay him, but Josiah didn’t take his advice. King Neco II defeated Josiah and forced him to pay tribute. He then went on to help the Assyrians, but his efforts didn’t make a difference. The Babylonians were too powerful for the Assyrian and Egyptian armies and they lost Haran. After Haran fell the Babylonians continued to wipe out any remaining Assyrian and Egyptian resistance.

King Asshur-Ubalitt II spent all of his time in power trying to hold the empire together. He didn’t have time to make any reforms, laws or to establish new policies. Historians, archaeologists and scholars can’t figure out if he died during the battle of Haran or disappeared from the scene to preserve his own life.

The Assyrians did conquer the Egyptians at one point in time, but they had become allies by the time that Asshur-ubalitt II ruled the land. The Egyptians continued to fight with remaining Assyrian forces, but they were not strong enough to topple the Babylonians. In the book of Daniel, God had declared that the Babylonians would be the next kingdom on the scene to rule because they were going to fulfill his purposes on Earth.

Biblical References:

Isaiah 20: 1 – 6 Isaiah prophecies that Egypt and Ethiopia will be defeated by Assyria.
Daniel 2 Daniel interprets the dream of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and explains to him how Babylon was supposed to have been the next major power after Assyria.
2 Chronicles 35: 20 – 23 King Josiah of Judah interferes with Pharaoh Neco II aid and loses his life during the process.
The books of Nahum and Jonah are biblical references to God’s punishment of the Assyrians.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashur-uballit_I
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/407681/Necho-II
http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaNabopolassar.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyria#mediaviewer/File:Dr%C3%A4kt,_Assyrier,_Nordisk_familjebok.png

Posted on October 29, 2012June 21, 2021 by Margaret Hunter — 35 Comments

Belshazzar Babylonian King

King Belshazzar was either the son or grandson of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he was the last Babylonian king to rule the throne before the Persians conquered the kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar was his father and after he had passed away Belshazzar became the next king. Some accounts claim that Belshazzar was the son of a ruler named Nabonidus who gained power over Babylon after he married one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters called Nitorcris. Once Nabonidus ruled Babylon he decided to make the moon god Sin the chief deity. This caused him some serious problems because the officials, priests, and the people recognized Marduk as their patron god. Nabonidus had to leave Babylon in order to save his life and while he was gone his son Belshazzar ruled as the crown prince. In this account, Belshazzar began acting as regent in the absence of his father around 553 B.C.

Belshazzar’s reign as king (not when he was acting in his father’s stead) was incredibly brief and he only ruled two years before the Persians took over Babylon in 539 B.C. He appears on the Bible Timeline Poster right before the fall of Babylon. The Bible says that King Belshazzar was feasting with a thousand of his nobles and he decided to allow them to drink from the golden cups that were taken from God’s temple by Nebuchadnezzar during his reign. As the kings drank the wine they began to praise the gods of gold, silver and other materials. Then out of nowhere a human hand appeared and wrote a message on a wall near the king and his nobles while they feasted.

Belshazzar,Last_Babylonian_King — Belshazzar sees the writing

When Belshazzar saw this he became very frightened to the point that he turned pale.
Belshazzar summoned his wise men to figure out the message that was written on the wall. The wise men were not able to figure out what was happening so the Queen summoned Daniel because she remembered how he had helped Nebuchadnezzar with his troubling dreams and visions many years ago. Daniel interpreted the inscription “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin” which basically meant that God has numbered Belshazzar’s days and that the kingdom was going to be overrun by the Persians. King Belshazzar gave Daniel many rewards, but he died later on that night when the Persians attacked the Babylonian city.

The Bible doesn’t go into detail about how the Persians conquered Babylon it just states that they killed King Belshazzar after the handwriting on the wall had occurred. Historical records indicate that Nabonidas had come back to the city of Babylon to defend it from the mighty Persian army that was moving from the east. King Nabonidas then marched a Babylonian force to intercept the Persians, but they were unsuccessful with stopping this army. The Persians under King Darius marched into Babylon during the night of Belshazzar’s feast and took the city.

Since Belshazzar only ruled Babylon for two years there is very little information about the things he did while he was in authority. He seems to have been a stable and well liked ruler but many historians have not put out a lot of information about his policies or the things he did for the kingdom of Babylon while he was in power. His name means “Baal protects the king”.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belshazzar
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2846-belshazzar
http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/belshazzar.html

Posted on October 28, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — 10 Comments

Nebuchadnezzar of Chaldea

Nebuchadnezzar was the popular king of Babylon who ruled the throne during the time of the Judean exile. He is known to westerners as Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadnezzar were how his name was pronounced in ancient times. Chaldaic was a dialect of Aramaic, and it used to be the official language of the Middle East and Mesopotamian region once the Babylonians gained power over the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar’s official name was pronounced and written in this ancient language. His name means “Nabu defend my son” or ” a favorite of Nabu”. The deity Nabu was the son of the Babylonian chief god Marduk and Nebuchadnezzar was named after this deity from his father King Nebopolasser, who considered himself to be favored by Marduk.

Nebuchadnezzar took the throne of Babylon in 605 B.C. when his father passed away from natural causes. This is when he appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart. Before he became king, he was a coregent with Nabopolassar, and he was out fighting many battles to expand the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar’s father defeated the Assyrians and from this event the Babylonians began to dominate various cultures all throughout the Middle East and the Mesopotamian region.

The Bible states that before Nebuchadnezzar began his conquest the Lord communicated to him that he was supposed to dominate the land of Judah. God had revealed himself to Nebuchadnezzar, and this probably happened through the dreams he had and through the reputation of the Hebrew people. Nebuchadnezzar’s father made it a point to search out ancient records so that he could worship the pagan deities from the past. This too probably helped to inspire Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Judah since the Assyrians had revelations from God that they were given this task for the Israelites they defeated. It should also be kept in mind that many of the Israelites were living in Assyria after the Babylonians took it over, and they too revealed God to the Babylonian rulers.

Nebuchadnezzar had become very powerful and successful with his conquests, and the defeat of Judah was one of his most important victories. A few years after he conquered Judah he had a particular group of young Hebrew boys to become educated within his court. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were the young men who would really reveal God to him by their presence.

Nebuchadnezar,_Chaldaic_King — Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

Nebuchadnezzar was prone to have strange dreams that troubled him deeply, and he would usually try to have the Chaldean wise men interpret these dreams. The Chaldean wise men couldn’t interpret his dreams but with God’s help Daniel was able to tell Nebuchadnezzar about his dreams.

King Nebuchadnezzar went insane during a seven-year period during his rule. Nebuchadnezzar honestly believed that he handled being so successful during his reign and would not acknowledge that God was behind his achievements. So God revealed to Nebuchadnezzar that he would go insane and believed that he was a wild animal. Daniel had told the Babylonian king that this would happen and eventually came to pass. After this period was over God allowed Nebuchadnezzar regain his sanity. He then was humble enough to acknowledge that the Lord of the Hebrews was the only true and living God.

Nebuchadnezzar married a Mede princess named Amytis and he spent the early years of his reign conquering the nations of Syria, Phoenicia and Egypt. He managed to subdue the Scythians, Tyre and the Cimmerians. He reconstructed the temples of Marduk, and he created the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon which is considered one of the Seven Great Wonders of the ancient world. Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C. and was succeeded by Amel-Marduk, who is also known as Belshazzar.

Biblical References:

Daniel 1 – 4 There are four key chapters in the book of Daniel that outlines God’s plans for Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar.
2 Kings 24 and 25 Mentions Nebuchadnezzar’s activities in Judah.
2 Chronicles 36 Mentions Nebuchadnezzar’s activities in Judah from a different perspective.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Daniel_Interpreting_Nebuchadnezzar%27s_Dream.jpg

Posted on October 27, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Chaldaic Kingdom, New

Chaldaic refers to Chaldea or more specifically the Chaldean language. This language was used by the people who resided in southern Mesopotamia within Babylon and it was also known as a form of Aramaic. Many people who resided within the Middle Eastern region spoke this language. This dialect had a universal appeal that was similar to how English is used in modern times. Different kingdoms and tribes used it as a primary form of communication even though they might have adjusted parts of the language to fit their particular methods of speech and culture. The Babylon Kingdom that emerged with the rule of Nebopolasser was sometimes referred to as the New Chaldaic Kingdom by some scholars and historians. This is because Neboolasser was the first king of the New Babylon Dynasty which began in the 6th century B.C. which is where this appears on the Biblical Timeline.

The Hebrews, Canaanites and the Phoenicians spoke Chaldaic and it was used in the Bible in the time of Daniel the prophet, Ezra the scribe and when Jesus was alive. Chaldaic is a Semitic language and it became the foundation of the Arabic and Hebrew dialects. The ancient Assyrians also spoke a version of this language that similar to Babylon’s and the Hebrews used it to write some of their text within the Talmud. Chaldaic was the official language of Babylon that was spoken by the Chaldean dynasty of Babylon rulers. This language was the official tongue of Babylon when they took Judah in captivity. The kingdom Babylon introduced the Chaldaic into the Mesopotamian and Middle Eastern regions once Babylon conquered many kingdoms and tribes that resided in these areas of the world. Chaldaic became the new official languages of these conquered regions and conquered peoples had to become familiar with this speech since the Babylonians governed their lives. Chaldaic had been in use for hundreds of years and it wasn’t until the time that the Persians conquered Babylon that it began to lose its preeminence. Shortly before the Kingdom of Judah fell the Assyrians had taunted the Judeans in Hebrew but the Judean officials who were present when this situation was taking place asked the Assyrian messengers to speak in their native language so the people wouldn’t hear what they had to say. This situation reinforces the fact that the Hebrew people were probably familiar with Chaldaic as much as they were with the Assyrian tongue. Before Chaldaic became a common language throughout the Middle East it was primarily used just by the Babylonians and probably by other tribes such as the Medes. The Chaldeans were also known as a race of sorcerers, astrologers and soothsayers. They had written many of their incantations, spells and prayers in Chaldaic. Since Babylon ruled the Middle East and the Mesopotamian region they used this language to influence people to worship their gods and to spread their power. Babylonian religious services were carried out in Chaldaic and the people also used this language for commerce.

new_chaldiac — Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

The Babylonians deported many groups of the people that they conquered back to Babylon. They also forced the upper-class sons and daughters of defeated nations to become educated in their language and customs. The prophet Daniel and his companions Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were trained to serve in the royal court of Babylon. Daniel and his companions had to learn Chaldaic in order to serve as officials within Nebuchadnezzar’s royal court. They also had to know this language so that they could communicate with other officials within the empire. Daniel and his companions were required to use this language when communicating with the masses especially since Daniel was a high ranking governor for many years.

When the Persians finally conquered Babylon they still continued to use the Chaldaic language as the official dialect of the empire. They mixed it with their own speech to create a unique form of Aramaic that was similar but different to Chaldaic. Eventually, this language went out use as the primary tongue spoken in the Middle East region of the world but certain tribal groups speak a modern version of this Semetic language to this day.

Biblical References:

Daniel 1 Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego were taken from Judah and made to learn the Babylonian (Chaldaic) language and customs.
Genesis 10 and 11 Nimrod establishes the Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
*All throughout the rest of the Bible God uses Babylon and Assyria to carry out his plans and he proclaims judgments against them. Key books include Genesis, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Nahum, Jonah and Revelation.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://www.spellweb.com/how-do-you-spell/chaldaic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaldea
http://www.crystalinks.com/chaldea.html
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/4213-chaldea