User:Ichthyovenator/Nitocris

Nitocris (Greek: Νίτωκρις) is the name given to the queen of Nabonidus ((r. undefined – undefined)556–539 BC), the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. The name is not attested in contemporary sources, but some historians tentatively use the name to refer to Nabonidus's queen.

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The ancient Greek historian Herodotus names the "last great queen" of the Neo-Babylonian Empire as 'Nitocris', though that name (nor any other name) is not attested in contemporary Babylonian sources. Herodotus's description of Nitocris contains a wealth of legendary material that makes it difficult to determine whether he uses the name to refer to Nabonidus's wife or mother, but William H. Shea proposed in 1982 that Nitocris may tentatively be identified as the name of Nabonidus's wife and Belshazzar's mother.

It is possible that Nabonidus was married to one of Nebuchadnezzar II's daughters, a marriage that could potentially have been secured through his mother's influence. Not only would such a connection explain Nabonidus's rise to the throne (being connected to the royal family) but also explain later historical traditions in which Nabonidus's son, Belshazzar, is described as Nebuchadnezzar II's descendant. In the Book of Daniel in the Hebrew Bible, Belshazzar is referred to as Nebuchadnezzar II's (grand)son. The claim of Belshazzar being Nebuchadnezzar II's descendant could alternatively ultimately derive from royal propaganda, rather than true genealogical information.

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/367282?journalCode=cp