He’s wading into a historical debate, and it's more tangled than you might think.
Josephus brings up Berosus, a Babylonian priest and historian, who wrote a Chaldean History. Berosus is pretty steamed about the Greeks crediting Semiramis, the queen of Assyria, with building Babylon. Berosus, as Josephus tells it, insists that these incredible Babylonian structures weren't Semiramis' doing at all. As Josephus points out, when it comes to Babylonian affairs, the Chaldean History has to be the most reliable source.
And it's not just Berosus. Josephus mentions that the archives of the Phoenicians confirm that King Nabuchodonosor (Nebuchadnezzar) conquered all of Syria and Phoenicia. Philostratus agrees, mentioning the siege of Tyre in his history. Megasthenes, in his Indian History, even claims that Nebuchadnezzar was stronger than Hercules, conquering a large part of Libya and Iberia! Quite the resume. But what about Jerusalem? Josephus reminds us that the Babylonian's attacked and burned the Temple, but it was later reopened when Cyrus took control of Asia. To back this up, he shares more from Berosus's third book: "Nabuchodonosor, after he had begun to build the forementioned wall, fell sick, and departed this life, when he had reigned forty-three years; whereupon his son Evilmerodach obtained the kingdom."
Things get a little Game of Thrones-y from here. Evilmerodach, Nebuchadnezzar's son, ruled "after an illegal and impure manner" for just two years before being assassinated by Neriglissoor, his own sister's husband! Neriglissoor then took the throne for four years. His son, Laborosoarchod, became king as a child but was killed after only nine months due to his "ill temper and ill practices." Yikes.
After that, the conspirators got together and crowned Nabonnedus, a Babylonian who was involved in the insurrection. According to Berosus, it was during Nabonnedus’s reign that the walls of Babylon were impressively built with burnt brick and bitumen. But his reign wasn't peaceful.
In Nabonnedus's seventeenth year, Cyrus of Persia arrived with a massive army. Nabonnedus met him in battle but was defeated and fled to the city of Borsippus. Cyrus captured Babylon and ordered the outer walls of the city demolished because they had been too troublesome to overcome. He then besieged Nabonnedus in Borsippus. Nabonnedus eventually surrendered. Cyrus initially treated him kindly, giving him Carmania as a place to live, but exiled him from Babylonia. Nabonnedus spent the rest of his days in Carmania, where he eventually died.
Josephus, through Berosus, paints a vivid picture of power struggles, conquests, and the rise and fall of kings. It's a reminder that history is rarely simple, and the stories we inherit are often shaped by the perspectives and agendas of those who tell them. And it makes you wonder: how many other historical narratives have been shaped, twisted, or outright fabricated over the centuries? It's something to ponder, isn't it?
20. This is what Berosus relates concerning the forementioned king, as he relates many other things about him also in the third book of his
Chaldean History; wherein he complains of the Grecian writers for supposing, without any foundation, that Babylon was built by Semiramis,
[14] queen of Assyria, and for her false pretense to those wonderful edifices thereto buildings at Babylon, do no way contradict those ancient and relating, as if they were her own workmanship; as indeed in these affairs the Chaldean History cannot but be the most credible.
Moreover, we meet with a confirmation of what Berosus says in the archives of the Phoenicians, concerning this king Nabuchodonosor, that he conquered all Syria and Phoenicia; in which case Philostratus agrees with the others in that history which he composed, where he mentions the siege of Tyre; as does Megasthenes also, in the fourth book of his
Indian History, wherein he pretends to prove that the forementioned king of the Babylonians was superior to Hercules in strength and the greatness of his exploits; for he says that he conquered a great part of Libya, and conquered Iberia also. Now as to what I have said before about the temple at Jerusalem, that it was fought against by the
Babylonians, and burnt by them, but was opened again when Cyrus had taken the kingdom of Asia, shall now be demonstrated from what Berosus adds further upon that head; for thus he says in his third book:
"Nabuchodonosor, after he had begun to build the forementioned wall, fell sick, and departed this life, when he had reigned forty-three years; whereupon his son Evilmerodach obtained the kingdom. He governed public affairs after an illegal and impure manner, and had a plot laid against him by Neriglissoor, his sister's husband, and was slain by him when he had reigned but two years. After he was slain, Neriglissoor, the person who plotted against him, succeeded him in the kingdom, and reigned four years; his son Laborosoarchod obtained the kingdom, though he was but a child, and kept it nine mouths; but by reason of the very ill temper and ill practices he exhibited to the world, a plot was laid against him also by his friends, and he was tormented to death. After his death, the conspirators got together, and by common consent put the crown upon the head of Nabonnedus, a man of Babylon, and one who belonged to that insurrection. In his reign it was that the walls of the city of Babylon were curiously built with burnt brick and bitumen; but when he was come to the seventeenth year of his reign, Cyrus came out of
Persia with a great army; and having already conquered all the rest of
Asia, he came hastily to Babylonia. When Nabonnedus perceived he was coming to attack him, he met him with his forces, and joining battle with him was beaten, and fled away with a few of his troops with him, and was shut up within the city Borsippus. Hereupon Cyrus took Babylon, and gave order that the outer walls of the city should be demolished, because the city had proved very troublesome to him, and cost him a great deal of pains to take it. He then marched away to Borsippus, to besiege Nabonnedus; but as Nabonnedus did not sustain the siege, but delivered himself into his hands, he was at first kindly used by Cyrus, who gave him Carmania, as a place for him to inhabit in, but sent him out of Babylonia. Accordingly Nabonnedus spent the rest of his time in that country, and there died."
