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( - 705 BC)
Sargon II (ruled 722-705 bc), Assyrian ruler who consolidated and expanded the empire of Assyria from the heart of Mesopotamia to Israel and present-day eastern Turkey, laying the foundations for an imperial system of rule in the region. Sargon ascended the throne in somewhat obscure circumstances and chose the name Sargon, meaning “legitimate ruler,” harkening back to the ancient glory of Sargon I, who ruled from about 2335 to 2279 bc. Accounts of Sargon II's reign written at the time highlight his victory over his northern neighbors, the Urartians, and the looting of their sanctuaries in 714 bc. His reign also included important territorial conquests, including the integration of Babylonia into the Assyrian Empire and the forced tribute of a long series of rulers, including King Midas of Phrygia (known in Western legend as Midas of the Golden Touch) and the pharaoh of Egypt. Sargon was able to control his vast empire in part because he divided it into about 70 provinces, each headed by a governor, and in part because the empire had an efficient road and mail system. The system allowed charioteers to exchange their tired mules for fresh ones at established way stations. Having consolidated his hold on much of the Middle East, Sargon began to build a new capital, Dur Sharrukin (Fortress of Sargon) on a small stream that runs into the Tigris River from the east. Today Dur Sharrukin is the city of Khorsabad in northern Iraq. Not long before the capital was to be completed, Sargon led his armies in battle, probably against the Cimmerians, in the land of Tabal in the Taurus Mountains (in present-day southern Turkey). There, at the height of his power, he was abruptly killed in battle. Succeeded by his son Sennacherib, Sargon created an empire that lasted nearly a century after his death.
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