Nabonidus

Nabonidus came to power in 556 BC after the murder of Labashi-Marduk, likely in a plot led by his own son Belshazzar. His origins were murky — he claimed no royal lineage, though his mother was Assyrian and he may have married into Nebuchadnezzar II's family. Once crowned, he set about elevating the moon god Sîn and rebuilding temples in Harran, moves that put him at odds with Babylon's traditional clergy. From 552 to 543 BC he vanished to Tayma in Arabia for reasons still unclear, leaving Belshazzar as regent. When he returned, he doubled down on his religious program. The gambit failed. In 5…