6:2 Daniel was first. Daniel had been a prominent and respected leader in Babylon for most of Nebuchadnezzar’s forty-year reign. Belshazzar was slain by the Chaldeans about twenty-two years later, and Darius had no doubt been informed about Daniel’s interpretation of the handwriting on the wall. He soon recognized Daniel’s unique abilities and rewarded him with a very high position. Daniel was probably over eighty years of age by this time.