Nabopolassar made sure that his firstborn son and heir was well prepared to be the next king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, together with his younger brother Nabû-šumu-līšir, was actively involved in the running of the empire, both on and off the battlefield. When Nabopolassar was rebuilding Babylon's ziggurat Etemenanki, he made sure that his two elder sons had key roles in various public ceremonies and rituals.[[50]] Both princes carried mud (for making bricks) in golden and silver baskets and mixed that mud with (ritually-pure) wine, oil, and crushed aromatics.[[51]] This event was meant to prepare Nebuchadnezzar for his future role as the restorer of and provider for Babylonia's principal temples, especially those belonging to the gods Marduk and Nabû. For nine years during his father's reign, Nebuchadnezzar served as the šatammu of Eanna ("House of Heaven") in Uruk, his family's home town.[[52]] In this capacity, he gained valuable experience as an administrator. Babylonian Chronicles record that he led his father's armies into battle on several occasions.[[53]] In 607, he successfully campaigned in the East-Tigridian area of Zamua and, in 606 and 605, he fought with the Egyptians for control over the land of Ḫatti (northern Syria and the Levant). In his father's twentieth regnal year (606), Nebuchadnezzar led Babylonian troops to Qurabati, a city on the Euphrates River not too far from Carchemish, crossed the Euphrates, and captured three cities. After the crown prince left, troops of the Egyptian pharaoh Necho (who had been Assyria's ally in its final days) marched to Carchemish, crossed the Euphrates, and made the Babylonian garrison stationed at Qurabati retreat. In the following year (605), Nebuchadnezzar mustered his father's armies and marched directly to Carchemish, where he defeated the Egyptian garrison that was stationed there. Some men managed to escape to Hamath, where Babylonian troops caught up with them and massacred them. However, before Nebuchadnezzar and his men could push deeper into contested territory, news came of Nabopolassar's death. The crown prince quickly marched back to Babylon and ascended the throne.[[54]]
50 Npl. 6 (C31) ii 31–iii 24; see above for a translation of the relevant passage.
51 For details, see Schaudig, Studies Ellis p. 153.
52 Jursa, RA 101 (2007) p. 131.
53 Chronicle Concerning the Late Years of Nabopolassar lines 5–28; and Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar II lines 1–8. See the Chronicles section below for translations of these passages.
54 Just over twenty days transpired between Nabopolassar dying and Nebuchadnezzar becoming king. According to the Chronicle Concerning the Early Years of Nebuchadnezzar II (lines 9–11), Nabopolassar died on the eighth of Abu (V) and Nebuchadnezzar ascended the throne on the first of Ulūlu (VI).
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser
Jamie Novotny & Frauke Weiershäuser, ' Nebuchadnezzar as Crown Prince', RIBo, Babylon 7: The Inscriptions of the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty, The RIBo Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2024 [/ribo/babylon7/RINBE11Introduction/NebuchadnezzarII/NebuchadnezzarasCrownPrince/]