March 30, 2020
Nebuchadnezzar’s Inscription
The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned several times in the Bible including
his dramatic story of repentance in the Book of Daniel, Chapter four.
An unusual artifact at Museum of the Bible – a small barrel-shaped clay cylinder inscribed with cuneiform text – confirms Nebuchadnezzar’s role in one of the major public works projects of the sixth century B.C. Following a long-established Mesopotamian practice, dozens of these 4.5-inch-long cylinders were inserted into small niches in the wall of Babylon being built along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
Nebuchadnezzar boasted, “With baked bricks and bitumen I built a mighty wall which, like a mountain, cannot be shaken. . . I laid its foundation on the breast of the netherworld; I built its top as high as a mountain.”
Engage with the Bible. And its extraordinary role in history.
Brought to you by Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.