| Nabû-šuma-libūr | |
|---|---|
| King of Babylon | |
 Contract of a sale of land imposed by the need to pay a ransom, dated to his 1st year. | |
| Reign | c. 1029–1022 BC[a] |
| Predecessor | Marduk-zer-X |
| Successor | Simbar-Šipak (Dynasty V) |
| House | 2nd Dynasty ofIsin |
Nabû-šumu-libūr, inscribeddAG.MU-li-bur[i 1] ordna-bi-um-MU-li-bur,[i 2] meaning "ONabû, may (my) progeny / the son stay in good health,"[2] (ruledc. 1029–1022 BC) was the 11th and last king of the 2nd Dynasty of Isin, the 4th Dynasty ofBabylon. He ruled during a period of instability due to incursions ofAramean nomadic tribesmen in Northwest Babylonia.
There is very little extant material for his reign. The legal text pictured[i 2] is from his first year. It was found at Kār-Bēlet-Ilāni nearNippur, and details the reimbursement of Nusku-zêra-iddina, thešandabakku, or governor of Nippur, with land, after he ransomed a man named Mudammiqu from the 'enemy'.[b] The price was paid in kind, with the text listing various items provided by the purchaser with their cash equivalent, for a total of 420 shekels.[3] It was first published in 1983[4] and the text provides the earliest recorded price for iron,[c] where an iron dagger of unspecified weight was valued at two shekels of silver.[5] It was witnessed by eleven individuals representing the roll call for the elite in Nippur and the godNinurta is invoked as patron deity of boundaries.[6]
A stoneduck weight[i 3] inscribed Nabû-šuma-libūr, optimistically titledšar kiššati (king of the world),[d] found its way to the Northwest palace of Nimrud, where it was preserved as an antique[7] and rediscovered byLayard in the mid 19th century, and perhaps indicates continued trade.[8] It was marked 30 minas (about 15 kilograms).
Ominous portents dated for his reign, are included in a damagedReligious Chronicle of the Seleucid era.[i 4] It records, "a lion was lying lurking and they killed it," a prophecy fulfilled by the fall of the dynasty.[9] The events at the end of his reign are not known, but northernBabylonia had been overrun byAramean tribesmen from the west, and the dynasty was followed by the 2nd Dynasty of Sealand when a substantial part of southern Mesopotamia seceded.[7]
