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Erich Lessing

A LEGENDARY PRIDE. The Book of Daniel records Nebuchadnezzar’s boast about “magnificent Babylon” that he built “by [his] mighty power and for [his] glorious majesty” (Daniel 4:30). The cuneiform text on this cylinder of Nebuchadnezzar describes the three palaces he built for himself. These building activities are parallel to Solomon’s construction, lending credibility to the Biblical account.

Cylinders with texts such as this one were buried in the corners of large buildings to record the ruler’s accomplishments. Similar texts by Israelite monarchs, says our author, may well have provided later Biblical writers with source material.