Amel-Marduk

Amel-Marduk (Babylonian cuneiform:   Amēl-Marduk,[1] meaning "man of Marduk"),[1] also known as Awil-Marduk,[2] or under the biblical rendition of his name, Evil-Merodach[1] (Biblical Hebrew: אֱוִיל מְרֹדַךְ‎, ʾĔwīl Mərōḏaḵ), was the third emperor of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from 562 BCE until his overthrow and murder in 560 BCE.

On account of the small number of surviving cuneiform sources, little is known of Amel-Marduk's reign and actions as king.

Nabu-shum-ukin changed his name to Amel-Marduk upon his release, possibly in reverence of the god Marduk to whom he had prayed.

[3] In one of the inscriptions written very late in his reign, after Nebuchadnezzar had already ruled for forty years, the king affirms that he had been chosen for kingship by the gods before he had even been born.

[8] Additionally, evidence of altercations between Nebuchadnezzar and Amel-Marduk makes his selection as heir seem even more improbable.

[5] In one text, Nebuchadnezzar and Amēl-Marduk are both implicated in some conspiracy, with one of the two accused of bad conduct against the temples and people:[5] Concerning [Nebu]chadnezzar they thought [.

[9]The inscription contains accusations, though it is unclear to whom they are directed, concerning the desecration of holy places and the exploitation of the populace—failures in the two main responsibilities of the king of Babylon.

[1] The Assyriologist Irving Finkel argued in 1999 that Nabu-shum-ukin was the same person as Amel-Marduk, who changed his name to "man of Marduk" once he was released as reverence towards the god to whom he had prayed.

[10][1] Finkel's conclusions have been accepted as convincing by other scholars,[10][1] and would also explain the previous text, perhaps relating to the same incidents.

[10] The Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a Hebrew work on history possibly written in the 12th century, erroneously states that Amēl-Marduk was Nebuchadnezzar's eldest son, but that his father sidelined him in favour of his brother, 'Nebuchadnezzar the Younger' (a fictional figure not attested in any other source), and was thus imprisoned together with Jeconiah until the death of Nebuchadnezzar the Younger, after which Amel-Marduk was made king.

[3] Regardless, Amel-Marduk's administrative duties probably began before he became king, during the last few weeks or months of his father's reign when Nebuchadnezzar was ill and dying.

[1] Despite being the legitimate successor of Nebuchadnezzar, Amēl-Marduk was seemingly met with opposition from the very beginning of his rule, as indicated by the brevity of his tenure as king and by his negative portrayal in later sources.

The later Hellenistic-era Babylonian writer and astronomer Berossus wrote that Amēl-Marduk "ruled capriciously and had no regard for the laws" and a cuneiform propaganda text states that he neglected his family, that officials refused to carry out his orders, and that he solely concerned himself with veneration and worship of Marduk.

[1] Whether the opposition towards Amel-Marduk resulted from his earlier attempt at conspiracy against his father, the tension between different factions of the royal family (given that he was not the oldest son), or from his mismanagement as king, is not certain.

[1] Though such acts of clemency are known from accession ceremonies, and in this case may have been connected to the celebration of the Babylonian New Year's Festival,[14] the specific reason for Jeconiah's release is not known.

Suggested reasons include to win favour with the population of Jewish deportees in Babylonia or that Amēl-Marduk and Jeconiah may have become friends during their imprisonment.

[1] Later Jewish tradition held that the release was a deliberate reversal of Nebuchadnezzar's policy, having destroyed the Kingdom of Judah.

[18] The release of Jeconiah is narrated in 2 Kings 25:27–30,[19] and in the Chronicles of Jerahmeel,[14] both sources referring to Amel-Marduk as Evil-Merodach.

[14]Amēl-Marduk's reign abruptly ended in August 560 BC,[20][21] after barely two years as king,[7] when he was deposed and murdered by Neriglissar, his brother-in-law, who then claimed the throne.

Based on increased economic activity attributed to him in the capital, Neriglissar was at Babylon at the time of the usurpation.