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Erich Lessing

A history of the Babylonian kings is recorded on the cuneiform tablets of the Neo-Babylonian Chronicle, starting in the reign of Nabonassar (747–734 B.C.E.) and continuing down to the third century. This tablet dates to the late sixth or fifth century. The important events of each year were written down for posterity, and a horizontal line separates each entry. The flourishing of literary history was common among Semitic cultures once they had established a comfortable level of political dominance and security. Similarly, Israel may have written down its own history and traditions as recorded in the Bible under the United Monarchy.