Biblical Timeline Chart – Page 10 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on January 2, 2013October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Himyarite Dynasty of Yemen

Yemen is a modern day country that is located in the Middle East just south of the nation of Saudi Arabia. This nation has been in existence for over 2,000 years and in ancient times it was dominated by the Minean, Sabaean, and the Himyarite tribal confederations. It was around 100 B.C. when the Himyarite Confederacy established its foothold all throughout desert lands of the Middle East which is where it appears on the Biblical Timeline chart with world history.

Ancient Yemen was located in the southern part of Arabia, and while it was under the Sabaean rule, it had become a powerful state that controlled a lucrative spice trade. The Sabaeans were a tribal people who developed the spice trade for thousands of years. They had taken the spice routes from the Minean tribes, and once they had control over the region of ancient Saudi Arabia, they tried to create a centralized state. Since ancient Yemen and the spice routes were located through a vast desert, it was impossible for them to set effectively up a stabilized society. Without a viable water source for use, it would have been too hard for them to create a settled society with a powerful government. The Sabaeans had to create a series of independent fortresses that were connected to towns or villages. These fortresses were primarily located all along the spice routes in the desert where oasis were found. Eventually, the Sabaeans were overrun by a tribe of people known as the Himyarites. Yatha Amar Bayin I was the first ruler of Himyarite Dynasty in Yemen and the last Himyarite ruler was Zamir Ali Yunuf.

After the Himyarites managed to take over most of the different fortifications they established a centralized state in Yemen that would dominate the spice trade in Arabia. They established their capital in the ancient city of Zafar, which was located in the southern part of Yemen. This particular area was located near the Red Sea.

Each Himyarite tribe played a role in controlling the territory of Yemen. They managed to govern most of the land that is now known as modern day Arabia. When the Himyarite Kingdom came to power, they took over the trade routes that specialized in providing spices to many empires and kingdoms within the ancient world. Spices such as salt, myrrh, cumin, frankincense, and pepper were traded to empire and kingdoms such as Greece, Rome and the Middle East. They also traded with the Jews, Tyre, and Egypt. The Himyarite’s focused most of their energy on developing efficient trade routes that crossed the vast Arabian Desert. They even had contact with Asian empires such as India and China. They were an economically successful people because of the spice trade, and they spent their wealth on luxury and splendor.

The Himyarites were not a powerful people that had world domination in mind and as long as they were able to control the spice trade they were content with their position. They dealt with outside empires and kingdoms on the basis of their spices. Many foreign powers needed or desired the spices that the Himyarites were able to manufacture and sell. The spices they produced were used for nutritional, medical and religious purposes. The Himyarite kingdom resembled a modern corporation that had a monopoly on the spice trade.

The Himyarite kingdom ruled Yemen in relative peace and was not conquered by anyone during its 600-year span from 100 B.C. to A.D. 500. Even though the Himyarites were never conquered by another group of people, their kingdom did go into decline. The Empire of Rome slowly eroded the power of the Himyarite kingdom. Around 200 A.D., the Romans were probably the most powerful force in the world, and they dominated many trade routes by sea. Once the Romans figured out how to access the spices that they needed through the use of sea routes they no longer needed to rely on the Himyarites. Over the next 300 years, the Himyarites economic activity started to decline, and they found fewer buyers for their product. Around 500 A.D., the Himyarites became insignificant, and their kingdom disintegrated. The people went back into a nomadic way of life. The Himyarite kingdom in Yemen was the last major kingdom in Arabia before the rise of Islam.

References:
http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~fmohamed/ancient-ye.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himyarite_Kingdom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zafar,_Yemen
http://empires.findthedata.org/compare/96-135/Suri-Dynasty-vs-Himyarite-Kingdom

Posted on December 29, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Early Japan culture largely Chinese

The nation of Japan is currently home to over 125 million people, and it’s one of the leading nations in the modern world. Japan’s official name is called “Nippon” or “Nihon.” Japan is an old nation that has been around for thousands of years but it’s official history begins around 660 B.C. that is where it appears on the Biblical timeline chart with world history. This is the era of the emperor Jimmu. The history of Japan is broken down into various historical periods, and the first epoch was called “Jomon” or “Jimmon.” The name was derived from the type of pottery that was common to this particular era in Japan’s history.

Most historians agree that Japan was settled by people who migrated across the Sea of Japan to the mainland. These migrations continued until 1,500 B.C. During this period the people survived off of the rich ecosystem of Japan. Over the next thousand years the migrations slowed, and the people within Japan organized themselves into clans. The ancient Chinese called Japan “Wa”, and as people from mainland Asia started to settle in Japan, they brought with them the practice of rice farming. Once rice cultivation became the main part of ancient Japanese society settled cultures began to emerge, and one clan was able to dominate the territory of Japan. The history of Japan is very similar to the history of China in this regard because a centralized clan had emerged to dominate the other independent clans in the region. Also, Japan’s writing system is derived from the Chinese, and they have similar creation myths and divine connection to their emperors.

Japan_Culture_Largely_Chinese — ‘Detail of Emperor Jinmu – Stories from “Nihonki” (Chronicles of Japan), by Ginko Adachi. Woodblock print depicting legendary first emperor Jimmu, who saw a sacred bird flying away while he was in the expedition of the eastern section of Japan.’

‘Detail of Emperor Jinmu – Stories from “Nihonki” (Chronicles of Japan), by Ginko Adachi. Woodblock print depicting legendary first emperor Jimmu, who saw a sacred bird flying away while he was in the expedition of the eastern section of Japan.’

Emperor Jimmu is considered the first emperor of Japan and Japan’s current emperor is supposedly a direct descendant of this historical figure. According to historical records, Emperor Jimmu and his clan migrated from the land of Takachiho and settled into Japan around 665 B.C. They chose the best location on the mainland of Japan to settle their family and clansmen. Jimmu and his brothers had selected a centralized area that would allow them to rule easily over the rest of the island.

As they moved eastward across the land they encountered other clans and were defeated in a battle against them and one of Jimmu’s brothers named Itsuse was killed in the fray. Jimmu realized that his clan lost the battle because they were fighting eastward against the sun, and they repositioned themselves to fight westward. Once they changed their direction and fought with the path of the sun, they defeated their enemies. After this battle had taken place, Jimmu was able to become the first emperor. Many Japanese people believe that the emperor descended from a Japanese sun god named Amaterasu. Emperor Jimmu’s clan became known as the Yamato or Kojiki.

Whether or not this particular story is true is very important because it reveals the connection that the Japanese people have with their ruling emperors. The emperor and the people are supposed to have descended from deities, and this is one of the main reasons why the Japanese people have such a strong bond with their emperor.

Rice farming and fishing were the primary means of economic activity in ancient Japan. They also conducted trade between the clans and with the other kingdoms that resided on the western side of the Sea of Japan. The Emperor set up the first administrative system that was used to govern the land for many years. Shinto was practiced as the primary religious belief system, and so was Buddhism. By 600 B.C. Japan was a powerful Asian state. Emperor Jimmu’s foundation story to Japanese history is considered an important part of the nation’s heritage and cultural development that remains a strong part of modern Japanese society.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dmon_period
http://japanesemyth.firespiritdesigns.com/html/jimmu.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2135.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Jimmu#mediaviewer/File:Tenn%C5%8D_Jimmu_detail_01.jpg

Posted on December 19, 2012September 28, 2018 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Antiochus I, Syria

Antiochus I was also called Antiochus I Soter or “Antiochus the Savior”.
He received this name after he stopped the Gauls from overrunning Asia Minor. He was the son of Seleucus I who had founded the Seleucid Dynasty. Antiochus I was known as the second ruler of this dynasty and he governed lands that stretched from Syria to India. He appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History beginning in 281 BC.

King Seleucus I was murdered by rival diadochi or generals who served under Alexander the Great. Once his father was assassinated in 281 B.C. Antiochus took over the empire and inherited a huge mess. He had to make peace with Ptolemy Keraunos (Ptolemy II) the person who was responsible for assassinating his father. Ptolemy II was the ruler of Egypt. The rest of the empire began to revolt against his rule and had trouble trying to keep it unified. He eventually went to war with Ptolemy II over the territory of Syria. While Antiochus ruled in Syria, Ptolemy still laid claim to the region. Antiochus went to war with Ptolemy. King Antiochus didn’t lose any territory after this conflict yet Ptolemy sill claimed the land.

Antiochus_I,_Seleucid_Era — Gallo-Roman statue of a Gaul warrior

King Antiochus originally governed Bactria before his father died. After becoming king, he spent a great deal of time in Babylon taking an interest in the worship of Sin and Marduk. After he put down many of the rebellions within his empire he had to rule the area pretty sternly in order to keep the peace. King Antiochus I was constantly moving his armies around the empire to deal with the problems that were continually occurring during his rule.

King Seleucus had married a woman named Apama who was a Persian princess given to him by Alexander the Great. King Alexander gave Persian princesses to all of his generals in Susa. After King Alexander had passed away all of his generals got rid of their Persian wives except for Seleucus I. He stays married to Apama and they had children together including Antiochus. As the king grew older his wife Apama passed away and he married a young and beautiful Persian princess named Stratonice. This young queen was about the same age as Antiochus when she married his father and he had fallen in love with her. His father decided to give her to him as a wife so he wouldn’t do anything harmful to himself because he was so stricken by this young woman. So Antiochus married Stratonice and had children. Stratonice also bore children to King Seleucus before he died. King Antiochus and Stratonice children were named Seleucus, Apama II, Stratonice of Macedon and Antiochus II Theos.

King Antiochus son Seleucus wanted to take over his father’s throne by force and King Antiochus had him killed. When King Antiochus II Soter died in 261 B.C. his son Antiochus II Theos became the next ruler. The empire remained intact under King Antiochus rule and though there were some minor changes to the empire he still managed to keep the area in one piece. His efforts helped his dynasty to continue on for at least another 100 years.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_I_Soter
http://www.livius.org/am-ao/antiochus/antiochus_i_soter.html
http://www.seleucid-genealogy.com/Antiochus_I.html

Posted on December 7, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Camillus and Plebians, Rome Dictators

The Republic of Rome had a governmental system that allowed them to install dictators whenever a problem proved to be unsolvable through normal procedures and processes. Difficult situations such as deep internal corruption or conquering armies that posed a threat to Rome were times that dictators were enacted. Normally, Rome was ruled by two consuls during the era of the republic. Once the dictator was in charge, he had absolute authority over all of Rome and its resources.

Around 400 B.C., there was a Roman dictator named Marcus Fuurius Camillus. (See the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History for additional events during this time frame. ) He was called upon by Rome to defeat two warring tribes that refused to stay beneath Roman power. The Falerii and the Capna were minor tribes in the southern Italian peninsula, and they created a situation that left the southern part of Rome’s territories in an uneasy position. The consuls who were ruling at the time could not stop the uprisings that had their roots with these two Roman tribes. So, they had no choice but to call upon Camillus to save Rome from losing the southern lands and to stop the rebels.

Camillus was a retired leader and distinguished soldier. He was a patrician who was born to the Furii, which was one of the most important families in the land of Rome. Once he took control of Rome as a dictator, he quickly went to work quelling the rebellion that was threatening Rome’s stability. The Gauls were another tribe that wanted to break free from Rome, and they even managed to gain control of some strategic positions that would give them direct access to the city of Rome. Many of the Roman leaders knew that if these two tribes made it into the city they could overrun Rome and destroy its power.

Camillus was called upon one more time in 387 B.C., and when he came to power, he didn’t allow the Gauls to gain control. He fought against the Gauls and forced them to stop their advances. He made them sign a peace treaty and accept Roman rule. After he had saved Rome from the Gauls, the people referred to him as the second founder of Rome.

Plebian_Dictators,Rome — Triumph of Furius Camillus

After Camillus had gained this victory, he didn’t stop being a dictator. As a rule of thumb, a dictator would typically step down from their position of power once a crisis had been resolved. Camillus didn’t follow through with this expectation, and he tried to continue to rule Rome on his own. The Roman consuls and senate could not touch Camillus because he had the power and the army behind him, so they had to wait to remove him from office. Their chance came when he was found guilty of embezzling state funds. Camillus chose to be exiled from Rome as opposed to paying a fine and after his departure the consuls regained their position. Even though Camillus was a shady dictator, the people did call upon him many times between 385 B.C. and 367 B.C. to save them from various crises.

Even though that was the case, Camillus never again tried to stay in office longer than his expected time. He finally died in 365 B.C. when a disease broke out in the region killing many people.
When a dictator was chosen, they usually were picked from the patrician (wealthy) class of Rome. The plebeians (poor) and slaves were not eligible for high-level leadership positions. To remedy this problem, the plebeians elected their own dictators to resolve matters that could otherwise be managed. Plebeian dictators usually dealt with domestic problems but not problems that arose from foreign sources.

Plebeian dictators just didn’t have the resources or authority as the regular dictators. Gaius Marcius Rutilus was the first Plebeian dictator. Quintus Hortenius was a plebeian dictator who managed to pass some laws that affected the whole entire community of Rome including the rich patricians. Even though there were some exceptions to the standard rule, Rome’s dictators were usually rich and powerful men chosen from the patrician class.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Furius_Camillus
http://www.livius.org/fo-fz/furius/camillus4.html
http://www.roman-empire.net/republic/earlyrep-index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plebeian_Council
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_dictator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Firenze.PalVecchio03.JPG

Posted on November 28, 2012August 19, 2019 by Margaret Hunter — 63 Comments

Artaxerxes of Persia

Artaxerxes I of Persia was the fifth king of the Achaemenid Dynasty. His father was the former King Xerxes and he ruled the Persian Empire from 465 B.C. to 425 B.C. which is where he appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart. King Xerxes was murdered shortly before King Artaxerxes ascended the throne. The assassin who killed the former king claimed that King Artaxerxes oldest brother Darius told him to eliminate the king. King Artaxerxes then killed his brother and took over the throne.

Most of King Artaxerxes rule was problem free and he didn’t make any major changes to the empire. The current system that was established by the former King Darius proved to be effective for governing the land. The people enjoyed prosperity and peace during his reign because he was able to keep control of the lands of Persia. Since he kept the system of government in place that was started by King Darius I, he was able to keep a vast network of trade and tribute flowing throughout the empire. He used the Phoenicians to control overseas trade routes to foreign lands, all of the provinces inside of the Persian Empire had to pay him an annual tribute and he established vast markets that covered the empire.

The religion of Zoroastrianism was popular in Persia and it still remained a viable worship system during the reign of King Artaxerxes. Other Persian gods were worshipped as well. One thing that all Persian kings did when they conquered a kingdom or empire is allowed the people to continue to worship their gods and King Artaxerxes continued this practice. He was also influenced by the gods of other nations including the god of the Jewish people. King Artaxerxes acknowledged God in the Bible though he might not have fully worshiped him.

King Artaxerxes also had another name known as Longimanus because his right hand was longer than his left one. He had a wife named Damaspia who was popular among the people. King Artaxerxes was considered an extremely kind and good hearted ruler. He always appeared to be fair and just. The king could also deal effectively with his enemies such as Artabanus who conspired to take his throne. King Artaxerxes defeated this military commander in a personal duel in front of everybody.

One way his kindness was shown was through the decree that he made for the people of Jerusalem. He allowed them to go back to their kingdom and assisted them with their journey and the rebuilding of the temple. King Artaxerxes personally knew of Ezra and Nehemiah. He also returned the treasures that taken from the temple under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

Some historians trace the demise of the Persian Empire beginning with his reign. A few provinces within his empire tried to rebel, but they did not succeed. They state that the uprisings that he experienced during his time in power had planted seeds for future revolts and rebellions and it didn’t matter if he put an end to them. Greece was a kingdom that revolted against Persia during his reign and they would come back to defeat the Persians at a future date. The Greeks also encouraged the Egyptians to revolt as well. On the outer fringes of the Persian Empire, the people were conspiring to rid themselves of Persian domination. Once again King Artaxerxes kept control of the rebellious regions but he didn’t completely or wasn’t able to stop the people from conspiring against Persia. King Artaxerxes died in 425 B.C.

Biblical References:
Ezra 7 King Artaxerxes gives the decree for the Jewish people to return home and he also informs the rest of his empire to accommodate Jews with their return journey and the rebuilding of the temple.

References:
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/artaxerxes-i.ht
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1827-artaxerxes-i
http://www.answers.com/topic/artaxerxes-i-of-persia
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/artaxerxes-i.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Artaxerxes_I_of_Persia.JPG

Posted on November 16, 2012July 20, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Chinese History, Taxation and Tithing in Early

Since the time that societies were stable and organized the system taxation has always played a crucial role with providing them with revenue and finances. On the other hand, tithing was also important for providing governing organizations with the income that they needed in order to carry out their work. Tithing and taxes in early China provided many rulers with the money that they needed to benefit their societies with public services and civil institutions. There were 83 dynasties in the history of China and the system of tithing and taxation will be explored through some of the major ruling dynasties within China’s history. The system of tithing appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History during the seventh century BC.

The key dynasties in ancient China were the Xia 2070-1600, Shang 1523-1028, Zhou 1046-221, Qin 221-207 and the Han in 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. Each of these ancient Chinese dynasties had their own systems of taxation and tithing which helped China to prosper at different periods within its history.

China’s history begins with the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors and their rule lasted from 2852 to 2070 B.C. These early Chinese rulers were considered mythical beings by the Chinese people. Chinese society during this time period was based on agriculture and the people gave their rulers a percentage of their crops for the purpose of taxation. Many rice farms were established during this time period and Chinese nobles who controlled these fields were also taxed heavily by the emperors. Trade has always been a feature of China’s economy and this form of economic revenue also brought wealth to China’s government. Merchants and traders were often taxed for importing an exporting their goods within China’s borders. The economy was pretty much the same during the Xia era which was the first official dynasty of China after the era of the gods.

ChinaTaxes_and_Tithing — Chinese Currency

Once the Shang Dynasty arrived around 1500 B.C. China’s society had begun to undergo some revolutionary changes. They developed bronze technology, organized their societies into structured classes, developed writing and used a standard form of currency. All of these developments helped to increase the Emperors ability to tax the people and to receive gifts or tithes from them as well. The Chinese people used a system of taxing plots by a number of fields that a person owned. In other words, if a person owned thirty fields one of them would automatically be used to pay taxes. So a person with thirty fields could grow twenty-nine of them for their own use while growing one of them strictly for the government. Sometimes Chinese officials demanded more than just one field and in some cases they would take almost half or maybe even more of a person’s crops if they felt they were justified with carrying out this action. There were many evil emperors during the Shang period and extreme taxation did happen.

Poorer people might have just one plot or field and they would have to give a certain percentage of the crops that they had grown to the emperor. Chinese society was extremely feudal during the Shang period and there were nobles, lords, serfs and peasants. Each one of these groups was responsible for providing taxes to the Chinese government. China also had slaves throughout its ancient history and these slaves were also given to the government in the form of taxation. They would then be used for public works and other forms of labor for the ruling class.

The next ruling dynasty after the Shang was the Zhou and they developed urban cities and lived in a rigid separation of social classes. Many of the rich and middle-class people lived inside of the main cities while the poorer people lived in the countryside. Agriculture was still the dominate means of income for Chinese rulers during this time period, but a merchant and skilled labor classes had become a standard feature of society as well. They also developed a standard form of money that was based on shells. All of these changes allowed China’s government to tax the people at a greater rate which means that the government had more economic power than it did in previous times. The Qin and then the Han dynasties followed after the Zhou and taxation had become more efficient and streamlined during these two eras. China enjoyed more prosperity than in the past though there were certain periods of time when the Chinese economy went into decline.

Tithing or gift giving in ancient China was done by emperors and other people as a sign of respect or honor. Many Asian kingdoms such as Japan and Korea paid tribute to China in the past and Chinese emperors had given them tithes. The emperors made sure that the tithes were seen as a gift and not as a tribute. The difference being is that a tribute represented the fact that a kingdom was a defeated nation or one that could not contend with a stronger power. The tithe was an act of good will and it showed that a kingdom was self-sufficient and independent of foreign power.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corv%C3%A9e
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_China
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/xia/
http://www.education.com/study-help/article/ancient-history-china-zhou–
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Han_Dynasty
http://quizlet.com/9979972/7-major-dynasties-of-china-flash-cards/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ancientchinesecoins.jpg

Posted on November 7, 2012March 14, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Draco Legislation

Draco was asked by the leading citizens of Athens to write a set of laws to quell the rebellion constantly disrupting the city of Athens. He and his laws appear on the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History in 620 BC, which is when his laws were written.

The ancient city of Athens was ruled by the land holding members of its society. They were known as the Alcmaeonides, and they created the legal system that would dictate how their society would operate. The laws that have been established by this class were passed down through oral tradition. Since the lower class citizens were not privileged to sit in on the Alcmaenides council meetings they often did not know they were breaking the laws. Since many of the lower class citizens were being punished for laws that they did not know existed or that they didn’t understand many of them began to rebel. Athenian society experienced a lot of civil unrest around 600 BC. This situation lasted for many years. The privileged Alcmaeonides were also about to be taken from their positions. So they designated one of their council members named Draco to establish a set of written laws that could be used to inform the lower classes of people about the law.

Draco’s personal life is a mystery and no one is certain about the details of his existence before he wrote the new set of laws. What history does reveal to us about Draco is that he had written the first constitution of the Athenian people. He had the laws etched on wooden tablets and 3 sided pyramids. These posts were hung and positioned at various places within Athenian society so that the common man could read them and not remain ignorant of the law.

Before this point, the ruling citizens of Athens created laws that were designed to give them power. They would sometimes come up with laws that severely punished the lower class people and they made laws that allowed them to escape punishment when they performed some illegal activity. Draco didn’t do away with favoring the rich over the poor when it came to the law but he did make the punishments for criminal offenses extremely severe for all members of society.

Draco wrote laws where lower class citizens had to go into slavery when they owed upper class citizens a debt. He made upper class citizens pay a fine if they owed a debt to the lower class citizen. Athenian citizens could also lose their lives for minor offenses such as stealing regardless of what was stolen. His laws pertaining to murder were considered extreme and harsh. This law stated that murder victim’s family had the right to avenge their death or to prosecute the murderer. People who committed accidental homicide had to be exiled from Athens. As a matter of fact Draco usually assigned death to almost any type of crime that a person could commit. Many people in ancient Athens were terrified by Draco’s laws because death was usually the punishment for most offenses. People still broke the law but the amount of crime did decline while Draco was in charge.

Draco also helped to form the institution of democracy. He set up rules and laws for electing council members and citizens to public posts. Many of the ruling class citizens of Athens were required to possess a certain amount of land. His laws also helped to keep land in the control of just a few of Athens citizens. Draco’s laws were Athens first written constitution and they are still considered some of the harshest laws ever created by man. The term “Draconian” is used in modern times to denote an extremely harsh set of punishments for minor offenses.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(lawgiver)
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/greecehellas1/a/cylonanddraco_3.htm
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/history/t2-1historical.htm
http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Story_of_the_Greatest_Nations_and_the_Worlds_Famous_Events_Vol_1/whatisd_bei.html
http://odraconiandevil.co.uk/
http://history-world.org/draco_and_solon_laws.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens

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 16, 2012May 10, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 1 Comment

Tyre Subject to Babylon

Tyre is an ancient city that was known as a great seafaring kingdom. The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic people that founded Tyre around 1200 B.C. Scholars and historians believed that they were descendants of the Canaanites. The city of Tyre started off as a small settlement and eventually grew to become a large and powerful city of commerce. Tyre was a prominent ancient kingdom that had established many different trade routes that dominated the Mediterranean Sea. It eventually was conquered by Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. This event appears on the Biblical Timeline Chart.

For many centuries, the city of Tyre built up its financial power and by the time that King David of Israel took the throne around 1000 B.C. Tyre had become a powerful city-state. Toward the end of his rule, King David wanted to build God a permanent home on Earth. God didn’t want him to complete the temple but he allowed David to gather the supplies he would need to get the job done. King David formed an alliance with King Hiram and they became good friends. This alliance carried over to Solomon, who used the aid of Hiram to finish the temple. King Hiram allowed King Solomon to establish a navy inside of Tyre. The two kingdoms became strong allies from this alliance.

The Bible doesn’t mention this alliance too much after the death of Solomon but the city had apparently broken its alliance with Israel and Judah. As a matter of fact, Tyre was glad when Judah and Israel were taken into captivity by Assyria and Babylon. God would punish them for this sin. The prophet Ezekiel spoke out against this city in Ezekiel 26. God said that he would encourage Nebuchadnezzar to march against Tyre and siege the city because of how it treated his people during their captivity. With Israel and Judah out of the way, the leaders of Tyre wanted to establish overland trade routes to the East. Instead of fulfilling this desire God used Nebuchadnezzar against them.

The Bible stated that Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the mainland city of Tyre and the surrounding areas and then he would destroy their offshore fortress where they would seek refuge in the event that the city would fall in battle. This offshore refuge was an island fortress that was located a few miles from the main city of Tyre. The Lord had already given Nebuchadnezzar the idea to siege the island fortress and for 13 years he was able to wreak havoc on Tyre and its inhabitants. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed buildings, slaughtered the people and stripped the city of its wealth but he was not able to reach the people who escaped to the island fortress. God carried out the destruction of Tyre over a series of years and Babylon was the first of many nations that would be used to bring about the cities ultimate demise.

The historical accounts about how Babylon defeated Tyre lined up perfectly with scripture. In other words, everything that God said Babylon would do to Tyre was carried out under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. The prophet Ezekiel relayed his messages from God with accuracy and clarity. He also made other prophecies concerning Babylon in the later chapters of his book. In the end, Tyre’s fall to Babylon was the beginning of God’s punishments being brought against this nation for it sins.

Biblical References:

Ezekiel 26: 1 – 6 God gives the prophet Ezekiel a message about the destruction of Tyre during King Jehoiachin’s captivity.
Ezekiel 26: 7 – 14 Describes how Babylon would destroy Tyre.
Ezekiel 27 and 28 Further prophecies concerning the downfall of Tyre.

References:
http://joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id23.html
http://www.atlasofworldhistory.com/NATIONS/Semites.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyre,_Lebanon

Posted on September 30, 2012April 5, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Babylonian Capivity, Second

God empowered King Nebuchadnezzar to become a mighty ruler on the Earth around 610 B.C. which is where he appears on the Biblical Timeline chart. This Babylonian king was to use his power from God to conquer many empires and kingdoms. King Nebuchadnezzar did use his power for that purpose and he used his strength against the nation of Judah.

Around 600 B.C. Babylon had marched against Judah because the territory hadn’t been paying its required tribute. King Nebuchadnezzar had previously conquered Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim. After Jehoiakim had died his son Jehoiachin took his place. During Jehoiakim reign, Judah was paying tribute to Egypt and Babylon. God had stirred up the king of Babylon to attack Judah during the reign of Jehoiakim so that he could pay them back for their sins.

King Nebuchadnezzar marched his armies into Judah and placed his dominance over the territory. After he captured Judah he then began to make them pay tribute and he marched off some of the people back to Babylon. He only took a few people.

After Jehoiakim’s power had come to an end, King Nebuchadnezzar placed his son Jehoiachin on the throne. This particular event set the stage for the first Babylonian captivity sent to Judah by God. The first Babylonian captivity occurred during the reign of King Jehoiachin.

King Nebuchadnezzar marched against the Babylonians because he was led by God to perform this act. He laid siege to Jerusalem and carried away many of the elite citizens of the kingdom. The Babylonian king also imprisoned Judah‘s ruler.

The second Babylonian captivity happened during the reign of King Zedekiah. This particular ruler of Judah was the uncle of and Nebuchadnezzar placed him in power after he attacked Judah the third time. This time around he was done being patient with Judah. He then began to siege to the city of Jerusalem for two years. Eventually, Judah was defeated and King Zedekiah was captured.

Babylonian_Captivity,_Second — Zedekiah’s Sons Are Slaughtered before His Eyes (2 King 25:1-7)

Zedekiah’s Sons Are Slaughtered before His Eyes (2 King 25:1-7)

The king was forced to witness the murder of his sons and then he was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar before he was marched back to Babylon as a prisoner. Most of the people of Judah were taken back to Babylon and only the poor people remained in the land. God had used many prophets to warn Judah about their sins and to turn away from them. The sin of idolatry had also been extremely problematic for the people of Judah. This sin is what caused the Israelites to be deported by the Assyrians and now the people of Judah had experienced the same thing at the hands of the Babylonians.

Jeremiah had sternly warned the King Zedekiah the last ruler of Judah to repent before the Babylonians finally destroyed them but the king didn’t listen. The Lord was fed up with the sins of his people so he finally resolved the issue of their disobedience by forcing them into exile. The people of Judah were now living as captives in a foreign land because of their disobedience. The Babylonian captivity lasted for 70 years before Nehemiah was allowed to bring back the captives to rebuild Judah. The second Babylonian captivity took place around 586 B.C.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_captivity
http://www.bible-history.com/resource/r_proph.htm
http://www.simplybible.com.au/f634.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:102.Zedekiah%27s_Sons_Are_Slaughtered_before_His_Eyes.jpg