The Gentile Times Reconsidered Chronology Christ

326 THE GENTILE TIMES RECONSIDERED
the second month of Neriglissar’s accession-year (II/4/acc.), or
about three months and a half earlier than the earliest tablet previously
known from his reign. 33 Together, these two texts seem to create
an overlap of eight and a half months:
Awel-Marduk’s 2nd year:
last text: X/19/2
Months: | month 1 | month 2 | months 3–9 | month 10 |
Neriglissar’s accession-year: first text: II/4/acc
How can this overlap be explained? Again, someone might
argue that the dates above, rather than showing an overlap, indicate
that Awel-Marduk’s second year was not the same as Neriglissar’s
accession-year, and that either he ruled for more than two years or
that there was another, unknown ruler between the two.
Any evidence, however, in support of such assumptions is
completely lacking. It should be kept in mind that each of their
known regnal years are covered by numerous dated tablets, both
published and unpublished. If Awel-Marduk ruled for more than
two years, we would have a large number of tablets, economic and
other types, dated to each of those additional years.
It is of considerable interest in this connection that the Uruk
King List (discussed in chapter 3, section B-1b) specifies the reign
of Neriglissar as “‘3’ (years) 8 months”. As Neriglissar’s reign
ended in the first month (Nisanu) of his fourth year (see below), he
acceded to the throne in the fifth month (Abu) three years and
eight months earlier, according to this kinglist. This is the same month
as that established earlier for his accession, before the two odd dates mentioned
above were discovered.
There are good reasons to believe that the information given in
the Uruk King List was based upon sources that go back to the
Neo-Babylonian period itself, including the chronicles. The
preserved figures are all in good agreement with those established
by the contemporary documents. This seems to be true even
when—in two cases―the number of months is given.
Thus the Uruk King List gives Labashi-Marduk a reign of only
three months, and the contracts from Uruk dated to his reign also
show that he was recognized in that city as king for (parts of) three
33 CBT VIII, p. 35. Walker, who collated both tablets on several occasions, points out
that “the months are very clearly written in both cases.” — Letter Walker-Jonsson,
October 26, 1990.