Darius the Mede Becomes King of the Achaemenid Empire

King Nabonidus (r. 555-539 BC), the final Babylonian king and son of the Assyrian priestess Adad-guppi, ascended to the throne in after overthrowing his predecessor Labashi-Marduk. For long periods, he would entrust rule to his son Belshazzar, a capable soldier but a poor politician who lost the support of the priesthood and the military class.

Around 552 BC, King Nabonidus made the city of Tema his residence and spent ten of the sixteen years of his reign there during the Achaemenid period (550-330 BC), the dynasty ruling in Persia from Cyrus I to Darius II.

King Belshazzar, the last king of the Babylonian Empire, is believed to have been killed in 539 BC when the Persians and Medes conquered Babylon at the hands of the Cyrus the Great (r. 559-530 BC). Darius the Mede (r. 522-486 BC), son of Hystaspes, took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two, likely having been made king over the realm of the Chaldeans.

The Chaldean dynasty, also known as the Neo-Babylonian dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of Babylon from the ascent of Nabopolassar in 626 BC to the fall of Babylon in 539 BC.

Besides Darius, Hystaspes had three sons: Artabanus, Artaphernes, and Artanes, as well as a daughter who married Darius' lance-bearer Gobryas.

In ancient sources, Hystaspes is sometimes considered as identical with Vishtaspa (the Avestan name for Hystapes), an early patron of Zoroaster.

The name of Hystaspes occurs in the inscriptions at Persepolis and in the Behistun Inscription, where the full lineage of King Darius I Hystaspes is given:

• King Darius says: My father is Hystaspes; the father of Hystaspes was Arsames; the father of Arsames was Ariaramnes; the father of Ariaramnes was Teispes; the father of Teispes was Achaemenes. That is why we are called Achaemenids; from antiquity we have been noble; from antiquity has our dynasty been royal. King Darius says: Eight of my dynasty were kings before me; I am the ninth. Nine in succession we have been kings.

Early in his reign, just after securing his throne, King Darius became God’s instrument for encouraging the Jews to complete their second Temple.

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you! Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.

Daniel was one of the Jewish youth taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon (c. 605-535 BC), serving the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus the Great.

Daniel prospered during the reign of King Darius and King Cyrus the Great. He remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Genesis 10:10 ascribes the founding of Babylon to Nimrod, son of Cush, and makes it contemporary with early Uruk and Akkad.

The first centers of Nimrod's kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh in Shinar. From there, he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah.

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About the Author: Lawrence Jean-Louis is the founder of eBrand Me, a digital marketing agency offering marketing & consultative services to CPAs and tax professionals. She aspires to start a money management firm by 2030.