A rare and important Nebuchadnezzar II Babylonian cuneiform cylinder auctioned by Doyle New York on April 9 achieved a world auction record. The price was $605,000 going to a phone bidder. The price includes the buyer’s premium. The hammer price was $500,000. In 1953, it was sold through Dawson’s of Los Angeles, Calif.
The clay cylinder describes the rebuilding of the temple of Shamash in Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habbah in Iraq) by Nebuchadnezzar II and dates to the Neo-Babylonian Period, circa 604-562 B.C. At 8.25 inches in length, it is the largest example to come to market in recent times.
The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II was responsible for the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and the Babylonian Exile of the Jews, as well as the construction in Babylon of the monumental Ishtar Gate and legendary Hanging Gardens.
The object is a remarkable written record in clay from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (Nabu-kudurri-usur), the greatest of the later kings of Babylonia, who ruled from 604-562 B.C. He was the second of the 11th dynasty of Babylonian rulers (the dynasty termed Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean), which lasted until the capture of Babylon by Cyrus II of Persia. Nebuchadnezzar II was the eldest son and successor of the Chaldean king Nabopolassar (Nabu-apla-usur), the dynasty's founder. Nabopolassar had seized control of Babylonia from King Sinsharishkun of Assyria, in the process ejecting the Assyrian armies from Babylonia, in 616 B.C.
It was customary for the kings of Babylon to cement their relationship with the gods by the act of restoring their temples. These accomplishments were then recorded in cuneiform on clay cylinders (prepared by a court scribe), which were then buried in the foundations of the restored temples. The cylinders were enduring commemorations of the king's fealty to the gods. This very public act also helped create the appearance of legitimacy for the ruler with his subjects and vassals.
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