Belshazzar (Babylon)
−539
Hebrew year: 3389 (ג׳שפ״ט)
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Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, and served as crown prince and regent during his father's prolonged absence from Babylon.
He appears in Daniel 5 as the ruler who held a feast using sacred vessels taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. During the banquet, mysterious writing appeared on a wall, interpreted by Daniel as a warning of Babylon's imminent downfall.
The biblical narrative places Belshazzar's death during the Persian conquest of Babylon in −539. Babylonian inscriptions independently confirm his historical existence and political authority, although his portrayal as king and son of Nebuchadnezzar differs from historical records.
- Hebrew year
- 3389 (ג׳שפ״ט)
- Place
- Babylon
- Category
- Foreign rulers & empires
- Part of
- Babylonian Exile
