Nabu-shum-lishir (

Babylonian cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sha ...

''Nabû-šum-līšir'', meaning "

Nabu Nabu ( akk, cuneiform: 𒀭𒀝 Nabû syr, ܢܵܒܼܘܼ\ܢܒܼܘܿ\ܢܵܒܼܘܿ Nāvū or Nvō or Nāvō) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of literacy, the rational arts, scribes, and wisdom. Etymology and meaning The Akkadian "nab� ...

, make the name prosper!")' was a Babylonian prince of the Chaldean dynasty and the second eldest son of

Nabopolassar Nabopolassar (Babylonian cuneiform: , meaning "Nabu, protect the son") was the founder and first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from his coronation as king of Babylon in 626 BC to his death in 605 BC. Though initially only aimed at res ...

, the founder of the

Neo-Babylonian Empire The Neo-Babylonian Empire or Second Babylonian Empire, historically known as the Chaldean Empire, was the last polity ruled by monarchs native to Mesopotamia. Beginning with the coronation of Nabopolassar as the List of kings of Babylon, King of B ...

. He may have attempted to usurp the Babylonian throne from his elder brother,

Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...

, in 602 BC.

Biography

Nabu-shum-lishir was the second son of

, the founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. He thus had one older brother,

, and he had at least one younger brother, Nabu-zer-ushabshi. Though Nebuchadnezzar had always been their father's designated heir, Nabu-shum-lishir was recognised by Nabopolassar as Nebuchadnezzar's 'equal brother', a dangerously vague title. Upon Nabopolassar's death in 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, away on campaign at that time, hastened back to Babylon, possibly in order to ensure that his brothers did not try to usurp the throne. Nabu-shum-lishir does not appear to have made a move to attempt to take the throne at this time. In the

Babylonian Chronicles The Babylonian Chronicles are a series of tablets recording major events in Babylonian history. They are thus one of the first steps in the development of ancient historiography. The Babylonian Chronicles were written in Babylonian cuneiform, fr ...

, the entry for the year 602 BC mentions Nabu-shum-lishir, but as the text is fragmentary, it is in an unclear context. Given that princes are rarely mentioned after their father's reigns if they did not become kings, and Nebuchadnezzar's early reign being shaky, it is possible that Nabu-shum-lishir revolted against his elder brother in this year to attempt to take the throne. Though the damage to the text makes this idea speculative and conjectural, Nabu-shum-lishir is not mentioned in any documents after 602 BC, perhaps reinforcing the theory that he led an unsuccessful revolt.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Cite book, last=Wiseman, first=Donald J., url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1KGMl3B78cgC, title=Nebuchadrezzar and Babylon: The Schweich Letters, publisher=Oxford University Press, year=1983, isbn=978-0197261002, location=Oxford, author-link=Donald Wiseman Chaldean dynasty Babylonian people 7th-century BC people