A similar curse dates to the Kassite dynasty (12th century BC), threatening oath-breakers: "May Marduk, king of heaven and earth, fill his body with dropsy, which has a grip that can never be loosened".
Kadašman-Buriaš, meaning “my trust is in the (Kassite storm-god) Buriaš,” was the governor of the Babylonian province of Dūr-Kurigalzu possibly late in the reign of Marduk-šāpik-zēri, who ruled ca.
He is traditionally listed as a king of the Chaldean Dynasty, being, probably, the son of Neriglissar by his wife, who was the daughter of Nebuchadrezzar.
His Assyrian contemporaries were probably Salmānu-ašarēdu IV (783 - 773 BC) and/or Ashur-dan III (773 - 755 BC) and the latter one is known to have campaigned in northern Babylonia on three occasions: 771 BC (against Gannanāti), 770 BC (against Marad) and 767 BC (against Gannanāti again).
He was contemporary with his father’s former ally, Šamši-Adad V of Assyria, who may have been his brother-in-law, married to who was possibly his sister Šammur-amat, the legendary Semiramis, and who was to become his nemesis.
Marduk-šāpik-zēri, inscribed in cuneiform dAMAR.UTU-DUB-NUMUN or phonetically -ša-pi-ik-ze-ri, and meaning “Marduk (is) the outpourer of seed”, ca.
His descendants continued to reign through three more generations until the seventh king of the dynasty, Marduk-šāpik-zēri.
Another rebellion leader, named Mushezib-Marduk claimed the Babylonian throne and was supported by Elam.
Marduk | Marduk-shapik-zeri | Mushezib-Marduk | Marduk (band) | Marduk-balassu-iqbi |
Hammurabi of Babylonia's 30th year name was "Year Hammurabi the king, the mighty, the beloved of Marduk, drove away with the supreme power of the great gods the army of Elam who had gathered from the border of Marhashi, Subartu, Gutium, Tupliash (Eshnunna) and Malgium who had come up in multitudes, and having defeated them in one campaign, he (Hammurabi) secured the foundations of Sumer and Akkad."
This is due to Morgan and Mortuus' fascination with the Bible, as they are both admit to being Bible experts (despite Marduk's anti-religious stance, Morgan has admitted that he uses the Bible as inspiration solely for its violent content, as he finds death and violence to be most inspirational for Marduk, and that he can "write a complete song mentally by just looking at a violent painting or image").
As a work of historical fiction, this novel has several characters who were real or from ancient mythologies: Alexander the Great, Cyrus, Marduk, Nabonidus, Pharaoh.
In 814 BCE he won a battle of Dur-Papsukkal against the Babylonian king Marduk-balassu-iqbi and few Aramean tribes settled in Babylonia.