Nabu

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Lee Lawrie, Nabu (1939). Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C.
Nabu
God of literacy, the rational arts, scribes and wisdom
Attendant God from the Temple of Nabu at Nimrud, Mesopotamia..JPG
Statue of the Attendant God from the Temple of Nabu at Nimrud, Mesopotamia on
display at the British Museum.
Abode Borsippa
Symbol Clay tablet and stylus
Consort Tashmet
Parents Marduk and Sarpanitum
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Nabu (Akkadian Nebu[1] Syriac ????) is the ancient Mesopotamian patron god of
literacy, the rational arts, scribes and wisdom.

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Outside Mesopotamia
2 Depictions
3 References
4 External links
History[edit]
Nabu was worshipped by the Babylonians and the Assyrians.[2] Nabu was known as
Nisaba in the Sumerian pantheon and gained prominence among the Babylonians in the
1st millennium BC when he was identified as the son of the god Marduk.[2]

Nabu was worshipped in Babylon's sister city Borsippa, where his statue was moved
to Babylon each New Year so that he could pay his respects to his father.[2] Nabu's
symbol was a stylus resting on a tablet.[2] Clay tablets with especial calligraphic
skill were used as offerings at Nabu's temple. His wife was the Akkadian goddess
Tashmet.[2]

Nabu was the patron god of scribes, literacy and wisdom,[2] as well as the inventor
of writing, a divine scribe, and the patron of all the rational arts.[3] Due to his
role as an oracle, Nabu was associated with the Mesopotamian moon god Sin.[3]

Nabu wore a horned cap, and stood with his hands clasped in the ancient gesture of
priesthood.[original research] He rode on a winged dragon known as Sirrush that
originally belonged to his father Marduk.[original research] In Babylonian
astrology, Nabu was identified with the planet Mercury.[citation needed]

Nabu was continuously worshipped until the 2nd century, when cuneiform became a
lost art.[2]

Outside Mesopotamia[edit]
Nabu's cult spread to ancient Egypt.[citation needed] Nabu was one of five non-
Egyptian deities worshipped in Elephantine.[citation needed]

In the Bible, Nabu is mentioned as Nebo in Isaiah 461 and Jeremiah 481.[2][4][5] In
Hellenistic times, Nabu was identified, and sometimes syncretized, with the Greek
god Apollo.[2]

As the god of literacy and wisdom, Nabu was linked by the Romans with Mercury, and
by the Egyptians with Thoth.[citation needed]

Depictions[edit]
A statue of Nabu from Nimrud (ancient Kal?u), erected during the reign of the
Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III, is on display in the British Museum.[citation
needed]

References[edit]
Jump up ^ Lanfranchi, Giovanni B. (1987). The Correspondence of Sargon II. Helsinki
Helsinki University Press. p. 92. ISBN 9515700043.
^ Jump up to a b c d e f g h i Bertman, Stephen (2005). Handbook to Life in Ancient
Mesopotamia (Paperback ed.). Oxford Oxford University Press. p. 122. ISBN
9780195183641. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
^ Jump up to a b Green, Tamara M. (1992). The City of the Moon God Religious
Traditions of Harran. Leiden E.J. Brill. p. 33-34. ISBN 9004095136. Retrieved 2017-
01-04.
Jump up ^ Isaiah 461 NIV Gods of Babylon Bel bows down, Nebo. BibleGateway.com.
Retrieved 2015-06-23.
Jump up ^ Jeremiah 481 NIV - A Message About Moab - Concerning Moab.
BibleGateway.com. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
External links[edit]
Wikisource-logo.svg Nebo. New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
Authority control
WorldCat Identities VIAF 52499642 GND 119463660