Nabonidus Chronicle

The Nabonidus Chronicle was copied by a scribe between 1st – 4th Century BC, although the original text was written sometime in the 5th or 6th Century BC.

It is written on a clay tablet kept in the British Museum, measuring about 14 cm long by 14 cm wide. It originally had roughly 400 lines, but only 70 over lines are still legible.

The text mentions Nabonidus’ and Cyrus’ campaigns against their enemies, and King Nabonidus’ self-imposed exile to Arabia for ten years. During this time, he leaves Babylonia under the rule of Belshazzar, who was King when Daniel interpreted “The Writing on The Wall” in the Book of Daniel in the Bible.

The Tablet describes the fall of Babylon, and the Battle of Opis, where Cyrus decisively defeats Nabonidus and then later capturing Babylon without conflict.