Nabonassar (also Nabonasser, Nabu-nasir, Nebo-adon-Assur or Nabo-n-assar) was a king of Assyria, who founded the Chaldean and Babylonian kingdom. He became king in 747 BC, and ruled for 14 years, until 734 BC. The Greek astronomer Claudius Ptolemaeus started an era, i.e. a start point for chronological calculations, on New Year's day in the Egyptian calendar of that year (Wednesday February 26, 747 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar). On this day the Nabonassar era (AN - Anno Nabonassari) began, which was used by Ptolemy and later astronomers, but not by the Babylonians themselves.

The first of a series of tablets collectively called the Babylonian Chronicle record events beginning in the reign of Nabonassar.

See also

• Kings of Babylon
• Babylonia

734 BC deaths | Babylonia

Nabonassar