Sargon II

(reigned ca.721-705 b.c.)

   The founder of the Assyrian Sargonid dynasty and one of the more aggressive kings of Assyria during its last and greatest phase of expansion. The manner in which Sargon acquired the throne in the wake of the death of King Shalmaneser V is still somewhat unclear. What is more certain is that Sargon was an ardent imperialist and he spent almost his entire reign attacking neighboring regions and putting down rebellions within the empire itself. One of his most important foreign campaigns took him into central Anatolia, where he defeated a people called the Mushki, led by a king named Midas, perhaps the ruler who became famous in Greek mythology for his golden touch.

   Thanks to surviving portions of Sargon's annals, including carved reliefs of his exploits, a fair amount is known about his efforts to stamp out rebels, especially in the regions bordering Urartu (Armenia). The king of Urartu, Ursa (or Rusas), had recently been stirring up insurrections among some of Assyria's vassal states. And Sargon felt compelled to put a stop to this activity by invading Urartu. In about 714 b.c. he marched his army northward into some hilly, forested territory, which is vividly described in his annals:

   I directed the line of march into the mountains. They were high mountains covered with all kinds of trees, whose surface was a jungle, whose passes were frightful, over whose area shadows stretch as in a cedar forest, the traveler of whose paths never sees the light of the Sun . . . on whose sides gorges and precipices yawn, to look at which with the eyes, inspires fear. Its road was too rough for chariots to mount, bad for horses, and too steep to march footsoldiers over. With [a] quick and keen understanding . . . I had my men carry mighty pickaxes . . . and they shattered the side of the high mountain . . . making a good road.

   Eventually the Assyrians found King Ursa and his army in a sheltered valley, where a battle ensued. Sargon was victorious, and his men chased the enemy from the field:

   I cut down their army and broke up their organization. I defeated the armies of Urartu, the wicked enemy, and their allies. ... I filled the gullies and gorges with their horses while they, like ants in distress, made their way over most difficult trails. In the heat of my terrible weapons I went up after them.

   To discourage future rebellions in the region, Sargon ordered the burning of many of its towns, fields, and forests.

   Having secured the northern flank of his empire, Sargon turned his attention to the south, where the Babylonians and the Elamites were causing trouble. Supported by Elam, a group of Babylonian rulers from the Sumerian plains in the south, near the Persian Gulf, had ousted the local Assyrian governor of Babylon and claimed its throne for themselves. In response, Sar-gon led an army against a combined force of Babylonians and Elamites near the foothills of the Zagros Mountains, but he was defeated. And one of the Babylonian usurpers, Merodach-Baladan, reigned in Babylon, in defiance of the Assyrians, for several years. In about 710 b.c., however, Sargon was able to dislodge Merodach-Baladan, who fled to Elam.

   Although often busy fighting his enemies, Sargon managed to find the time to build a new capital city with a brand-new palace. In about 717 B.c.hebegan work on Dur-Sharukkin ("Sargon's Fortress"), later called Khorsabad, originally a virgin site about 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Nineveh. His inauguration inscription, dating from several years later, reads, "For me, Sargon, who dwells in this palace, may he [the god Ashur] decree as my destiny, eternal life." Sargon's life proved far from eternal, however, because less than a year later he died trying to put down still another rebellion. His son, Sennacherib, and other immediate successors decided to abandon Dur-Sharukkin, which was sparsely inhabited for a time but then steadily fell into ruin.

   See also: Assyrian Empire; Dur-Sharukkin; Sennacherib