Nitocris of Babylon

Nitocris of Babylon (c. 550 BC) is an otherwise unknown queen regnant^[1] of Babylon described by Herodotus in his Histories.

According to Herodotus' Histories, among sovereigns of Babylon two were women, Semiramis and Nitocris.^[2]

Nitocris is credited by Herodotus with various building projects in Babylon. She is also said to have tricked Darius I by placing her tomb above a gate so that no Persian could pass below and enter through. According to the account, Darius was lured in by a mysterious inscription that served as a trap for greedy kings.^[3]^[4] According to Herodotus, she was the wife of Nabonidus (Greek Labynētos) against whose son an expedition was launched by Cyrus the Great.^[5]^[6] Dougherty and Beaulieu identify the son as Belshazzar.^[7]

If this is the case, she is most likely the queen in the story of Belshazzar's feast, and she is identified as such in Handel's oratorio Belshazzar.

References

↑ Smith, Philip (1871). The Ancient History of the East: From the Earliest Times to the Conquest by Alexander the Great : Including Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Media, Persia, Asia Minor, and Phoenicia. Harper. p. 344. Herodotus (i. 185) ascribes these works to Nitocris, whom he clearly regards as a queen regnant, and whom he makes the mother of "Labynētos" (i. e., Nabonadius) the last king of Babylon (i. 188).
↑ Herodotus. "History". Classics dept. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
↑ Notes and Discussions Darius and the Tomb of Nitocris Jstor.org of
↑ Herodotus, Histories I.185
↑ Dougherty, Raymond Philip (2008). Nabonidus and Belshazzar: A Study of the Closing Events of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 38, 40–42, 65. ISBN 978-1-55635-956-9. Citing Herodotus, The Histories, 1.188
↑ Cf. Wiseman, D.J. (2004). Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon: The Schweich Lectures. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-19-726100-0. According to Wiseman, "Nabonidus is known to have been in his self-imposed exile for ten . . . years. Belshazzar was co-regent during his absence".
↑ Beaulieu, Paul-Alain (1989). The Reign of Nabonidus King of Babylon 556-559 B.C. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 80, 81. ISBN 0-300-04314-7.
↑ Röllig Wolfgang, Nitokris von Babylon, in Beiträge zur Alten Geschichte und deren Nachleben, Festschrift F. Altheim zum 6.10.1968, Berlin, 1969, p 128
↑ O. E. Ravn, Herodotus' Description of Babylon. Copenhagen, 1942, p. 76.
↑ Boardman, John; Edwards, I. E. S.; Sollberger, E.; Hammond, N. G. L. (1992-01-16). The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge University Press. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-521-22717-9.
↑ Shea, William H. (1982). "Nabonidus, Belshazzar, and the Book of Daniel: an Update". Andrews University Seminary Studies. 20 (2): 133–149.
↑ Ripley, George; Dana, Charles Anderson, eds. (1873). The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge. Vol. 2. Appleton. p. 190. He appears to have belonged, like Neriglissar, to the priestly order; and it has been conjectured that he was married to Nitocris, a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and that she was queen regnant. This conjecture, if admitted, would confirm the statement of Herodotus that many of the defensive works at Babylon, especially designed to repel the Medes, were the work of a queen named Nitocris. It is certain that some of these were constructed during the reign of Nabonadius. If we may assume that his queen was a daughter of the great Nebuchadnezzar, and co-sovereign with her husband, it would be quite natural that tradition should give her the credit for these constructions.

Nitocris of Babylon

See also

References

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