Image Details

Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/Art Resource, NY

A Babylonian ruler mentioned in the Bible, Merodach-baladan II (721–712 B.C.E.) was one of the ethnic Chaldeans who played an important part in developing Babylonian resistance to the Assyrians. This 1.4-foot-high stela provides a rare depiction of a Babylonian ruler and records a land grant from Merodach-baladan (the tall figure on the left) to the governor of Babylon (on the right). Both men are portrayed with long hair and tightly curled beards, as well as short-sleeved tunics and long garments secured with wide belts. The king also wears slippers and the pointed, tasseled crown of Babylonian monarchs. That an ethnic Chaldean could become ruler of Babylonia suggests an analogy by which to understand how the Israelites became rulers of Canaan.