Sometime in 562, Nebuchadnezzar II died and was succeeded by his designated heir Amēl-Marduk (biblical Evil-Merodach).[[89]] Amēl-Marduk's duties, however, probably started earlier, during the final weeks or months of his father's decades-long reign, when Nebuchadnezzar was sick and dying. Unlike the transition of power between Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar, which was smooth and well received, the one between Nebuchadnezzar and Amēl-Marduk was not popular and appears to have faced opposition, as suggested not only by the fact that his reign lasted a mere two years and ended with his murder, but also from later sources that portray him negatively.[[90]] Nebuchadnezzar's legacy nevertheless continued with his son-in-law Neriglissar, a son of the Aramaean tribal leader Bēl-šumu-iškun[[91]] and an influential and wealthy landowner[[92]] who ruled Babylon for three years and eight months.
89 For studies on his reign, see, for example, Da Riva, GMTR 4 pp. 14–15; Finkel, CDOG 2 pp. 333–338; Sack, Amēl-Marduk; and Weiershäuser and Novotny, RINBE 2 pp. 1–2.
90 For further details, see, for example, Weiershäuser and Novotny, RINBE 2 pp. 1–2.
91 Bēl-šumu-iškun is probably identical with the Aramaean tribal leader of the Puqūdu tribe who is mentioned in the Hofkalender inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II (Nbk. 11 [Prism] vi 23´). The evidence will be presented in a forthcoming book chapter by R. Da Riva; see also D'Agostino, Studies Moscati p. 121; and van Driel, RLA 9/3–4 (1999) p. 228.
92 Neriglissar had close connections with the wealthy and influential Egibi merchant family. See van Driel, JEOL 29 (1987) pp. 50–67; and Sack, Neriglissar pp. 23–25.
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser, ' Nebuchadnezzar's Death', RIBo, Babylon 7: The Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2024 [/ribo/babylon7/RINBE11Introduction/NebuchadnezzarII/DeathofNebuchadnezzar/]